The Citadel, also known as the Tower of Angels, serves as the home and monastery of the Dark Angels.
It possesses powerful Warp engines and shield systems.
It houses various ancient and mysterious technologies and creations collected by the Dark Angels over millennia.
It was transformed from the surviving fragments of the world of Caliban.
It is larger than any standard Imperial battleship.
It has multiple escort fleets and Thunderhawk gunship squadrons.
Its powerful armaments allow it to annihilate an entire fleet on its own.
When Lion El'Jonson stepped onto the Citadel, his heart was heavy.
The former Caliban had been shattered due to his irrationality.
The initial animosity from Zabriel and the other Fallen Angels was not without reason.
He had gone too far, unwilling to even give an explanation to the descendants who were abandoned on Caliban.
Zabriel and the other Fallen Angels felt a sense of unreality.
After ten thousand years, they once again set foot on Caliban.
Although the current Citadel is merely a fortress built from wreckage, it still holds extraordinary significance for them.
Azrael watched Lion El'Jonson and the Fallen Angels emerge from the transport shuttle, his expression complex.
Excitement, apprehension, bewilderment, and a myriad of other emotions surged through his heart.
Too much had happened in these ten thousand years.
The Dark Angels Battle Group had once regarded the Fallen Angels as a shameful stain that could not be known to the Imperium.
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They had sworn to completely eradicate them.
Now, the situation had changed.
With the return of Lion El'Jonson, these Fallen Angels, whom they had once hated, had once again become their brothers.
Such a transformation made one wonder if everything they had done in the past truly had meaning.
"Lord Lion El'Jonson."
Azrael, accompanied by many Dark Angels, quickly approached Lion El'Jonson and saluted him.
Lion El'Jonson looked at the Grand Master's weathered face.
He had many things he wanted to say, but couldn't.
Finally, Lion El'Jonson patted Azrael's shoulder, "I'm sorry."
This sentence stunned Azrael.
He had never expected Lion El'Jonson to apologize.
In the ancient texts left by their predecessors, it was said that Lion El'Jonson was an arrogant Primarch with strong self-esteem.
Even if he knew he had made a mistake, he would not apologize for it.
"It's not your fault, Father," Azrael said.
"It is my fault. If I had been a little more patient then, perhaps the Battle of Caliban would not have erupted," Lion El'Jonson said. "Only Luther and the other high-ranking officials should have betrayed the Imperium."
"They hate me simply because I exiled them back to their homeworld and took away the fleet, not allowing them to earn merits and honors."
"......"
Azrael and the others listened quietly.
Lion El'Jonson said a lot, reflecting on his mistakes.
"Fate has given me another chance. This time, I will never repeat the mistakes of ten thousand years ago."
"Zabriel and the others are innocent. Promise me, do not hate them anymore."
"I understand," Azrael nodded. "I will order the cessation of indiscriminate hunting of the Fallen Angels. Only those confirmed to have fallen to Chaos and completely betrayed the Imperium will be judged."
"Good," Lion El'Jonson said. "Tell me everything that has happened to the Dark Angels over these ten thousand years."
"I owe you too much. From today onwards, I will once again lead you to rebuild the collapsing order of the Imperium."
Azrael nodded, concealing nothing, and recounted everything that had happened over the past ten thousand years.
The Battle of Caliban ended with a massive explosion on the world of Caliban.
The Dark Angels regrouped their Battle Group amidst the chaos.
They collected the wreckage of Caliban and used it to construct the Citadel.
Because Lion El'Jonson disappeared during that great battle, the surviving Dark Angels believed that the Fallen Angels and Luther had used some despicable means.
Therefore, they had always pursued the Fallen Angels, interrogated Luther, and searched for Lion El'Jonson's whereabouts.
After detailing the events of the past ten thousand years, Azrael revealed another piece of news that shocked Lion El'Jonson.
"Luther has escaped."
After the Battle of Caliban, the Dark Angels did not find Lion El'Jonson, only an unconscious Luther.
They imprisoned Luther and interrogated him periodically, hoping to learn Lion El'Jonson's whereabouts from him.
But Luther always claimed he didn't know.
He had been blinded by the power of Chaos, Lion El'Jonson had redeemed him, and then he had fallen unconscious.
For ten millennia, the Dark Angels had kept Luther under strict guard, imprisoning this damned traitor in the deepest part of the Citadel.
Everything was fine originally.
Until Magnus initiated the Fenris Campaign.
The Daemon Primarch used the Spear of Russ, which Leman Russ had once wielded, to perform a transformation ritual.
This caused the sons of the Wolf Lord to lose control of themselves, frequently exhibiting the Wulfen phenomenon.
During a mission to repel daemons, the Dark Angels and the Inquisition discovered something amiss.
Thus, they formed a joint fleet to investigate the matter.
During this time, Tzeentch's minions infiltrated the Citadel and the Fang.
They stirred up trouble and created animosity between the two factions.
This nearly led to the investigative fleet engaging the Fenrisian Wolves in combat.
Although the misunderstanding was successfully resolved later, and the crisis was averted, the Lords of Change took advantage of the chaos, tearing open countless Warp rifts in the Citadel and releasing a large number of daemons, severely weakening the Dark Angels.
After the Great Rift opened, the Daemon Prince M'kar, accompanied by his daemon army and Chaos Warbands, launched an invasion of the weakened Citadel.
That battle was extremely fierce.
Although the Dark Angels successfully repelled the enemy, the cell of Luther, the chief traitor, was opened, and he himself disappeared.
"I will bring him back."
After hearing the entire sequence of events, Lion El'Jonson's tone was calm.
It was as if, with aging, his former impulsiveness and recklessness had vanished, and he had become more composed.
If it had been the old Lion El'Jonson, he would have immediately rushed out in a fiery rage.
He would have traced the clues relentlessly, and upon encountering Luther, he would have unleashed a furious beating to vent his anger over the damage to his reputation.
The old Lion El'Jonson greatly valued his reputation and his control over the Battle Group.
Once someone crossed the line, he would immediately erupt in fury and retaliate.
The current Lion El'Jonson, however, had undergone a tremendous change.
He was no longer angry, but calmly analyzed and then acted.
The Players also followed him into the Citadel.
This time, Dante had learned his lesson.
He had issued a task in advance, instructing these God Chosen to tidy up their appearance.
He didn't want to repeat the fiasco of their previous meeting with Lion El'Jonson.
The Players behaved very obediently.
They looked as if they were simply checking in and taking pictures.
Of course, this was all a disguise.
If they were truly obedient, they wouldn't be Players.
When the Dark Angels became accustomed to the presence of the God Chosen and lowered their vigilance, Desert, Director Qi, and other Players quietly slipped away from the crowd.
They sneaked into the depths of the Citadel.
They were searching for precious ancient relics.
Of course, they weren't just there to pilfer the Dark Angels' sacred relics.
They had another important objective on this trip.
That was to find that ancient Old One creation that possessed immense power, capable of even changing the galaxy's megastructures.
This Old One creation was the Tuchulcha Engine.
Tuchulcha is an ancient device with self-awareness.
It allows fleets to perform efficient and precise Warp jumps.
It was discovered by Lion El'Jonson in the Perditus System during the Horus Heresy.
At that time, Typhus of the Death Guard was searching for this ancient artifact.
Lion El'Jonson defeated Typhus, seized the Tuchulcha Engine, and used it to navigate, defeating the Night Lords and Konrad Curze.
Upon learning that the Emperor was not yet fallen,
Guilliman, Lion El'Jonson, and Sanguinius, who had established the Second Imperium, ceased their actions to split the Imperium and planned to rush to Terra for support.
However, Ultramar was engulfed by the Ruinstorm at that time.
To cross the Ruinstorm and reach Terra, Lion El'Jonson once again used this ancient artifact for navigation.
This ancient engine allowed them to successfully locate the source of the Ruinstorm, the fallen world of Horus – Davin.
After destroying Davin, the Ruinstorm that raged across the galaxy dissipated, and the light of the Astronomican reappeared.
Thus, Lion El'Jonson ordered the Tuchulcha Engine, which had lost its purpose, to be sealed away.
After the Horus Heresy ended, this artifact had been sealed within the Citadel ever since.
In fact, the Tuchulcha Engine, like the Ouroboros and the Heart of Plagues, was a Warp artifact created by the Old Ones.
If they were combined, they could form a Harmonic Engine capable of breaking time and space.
It could open pathways in the void between Reality and the Warp, thereby constructing the Webway.
The preciousness of the Tuchulcha Engine goes without saying.
As long as they could obtain this ancient engine, they would definitely receive the Players' highest honor, the eagle medal.
If we can find all three artifacts, the Players involved will probably not be sufficiently honored even with an eagle medal each.
Director Qi said, "The Tuchulcha Engine has its own consciousness; I suspect it's avoiding our search."
"The more it dislikes us, the more we need to find it, brothers, spread out and search."
"The Most Efficient Neutron Annihilation," an Iron Warriors, said.
"Search carefully, brothers," Desert encouraged the accompanying Players, "The Tuchulcha Engine is part of the Webway tunneling machine. With it, the Imperium of Man can build its own Webway."
The Players were full of enthusiasm, all wanting to find the Tuchulcha Engine and claim credit.
But their actions were quickly noticed by Azrael.
The Citadel held too many secrets.
For this reason, the Dark Angels always maintained the highest vigilance.
Moreover, there were also the cloaked figures of the Dark Watchers lurking in the shadows.
It wasn't long before the Players were apprehended by the dispatched Dark Angels.
They were ordered to return to the boarding deck immediately.
"Take them all away! How audacious, daring to trespass everywhere!"
"They must be severely punished to make them understand that the Citadel is not their backyard."
One Dark Angel was furious, kicking and hitting the Players.
His raging appearance forced the other Dark Angels to come forward and mediate.
After all, the God Chosen were Imperial heroes blessed by the Emperor, saviors of humanity.
A few scoldings and blows were fine, but if they truly offended them, how would they cooperate with the God Chosen in the future?
"You patrol here; the task of escorting the God Chosen is ours."
The leading captain told that Dark Angel to stay, while he and his companions led the God Chosen away.
That Dark Angel initially appeared very angry, until everyone disappeared from sight.
Only then did this Dark Angel remove his helmet, revealing a smile.
This person was not a Dark Angel, but Boss Hong Zhong, an Alpha Librarian.
"It seems the eagle medal is mine alone."
Boss Hong Zhong put his helmet back on and walked into the depths of the Citadel, heading straight for the Dark Angels' secret library.
Searching like a headless chicken would certainly not work.
It would be a waste of time and inefficient.
He decided to check the historical records of the Dark Angels; they must have recorded relevant information.
In the main hall,
Director Qi, Desert, and other Players stood obediently.
Azrael looked at the God Chosen and felt a headache coming on.
He had already learned of the God Chosen's origins from Dante.
These fellows were another gift from the Emperor to humanity.
They could resurrect infinitely, were immune to the corruption of the Chaos Gods, and possessed astonishing growth rates.
Moreover, with them around, many seemingly blasphemous sins could be pardoned.
After all, often, the God Chosen were the most Heretic ones.
Dante swore he had definitely heard these God Chosen shouting the treasonous slogan, 'The Golden Throne is for everyone; it'll be my turn next year.'
If the blasphemous acts of these God Chosen were committed by an ordinary person, they would certainly be slow-roasted by the Inquisition for forty-nine days.
"You don't need to worry about the Citadel's secrets being leaked; many things about the God Chosen are more Heretic than your secrets."
Dante consoled Azrael, telling him to take it easy.
Currently, the God Chosen were running rampant all over Baal.
Initially, Dante was also very annoyed.
Over time, he had given up.
As long as these God Chosen didn't drag Sanguinius out of his stasis coffin, everything was fine.
Lion El'Jonson looked around at the God Chosen, his brows slightly furrowed.
Primarchs possessed astonishing memories; he clearly remembered every God Chosen who had landed on the Citadel.
And now, one was missing.
"Interesting," Lion El'Jonson smiled, but didn't tell Azrael.
In his youth, he might have valued the Battle Group's honor and his own reputation.
But now, he was very open-minded about everything.
When fighting Chaos, even the slightest human weakness would be infinitely magnified.
For the final battle, the Emperor even went so far as to abandon most of his humanity, fearing that he wouldn't be able to act when facing fleeting opportunities.
Just like Leman Russ, if he hadn't hesitated when assassinating Horus, the Horus Heresy would have ended long ago.
Only by letting go of everything can there be a chance to save everything.
Letting those God Chosen stir things up was good too, bringing some vitality to the stagnant Citadel.
Of course, Lion El'Jonson also wanted to see when Azrael would discover that a God Chosen was missing.
Just as Azrael was contemplating how to deal with these God Chosen, something unexpected happened.
Light emanated from the God Chosen, then they transformed into beams of light that shot skyward, piercing through the Citadel's layers of floor and flying into the void, disappearing into Immaterium.
One, two, three...
This scene left Azrael and the other Dark Angels dumbfounded.
The God Chosen's departure was so swift.
In just a moment, they all transformed into light and vanished.
"Where did they go?"
Lion El'Jonson watched a God Chosen turn into light and disappear, also showing surprise.
"The Saint must have summoned them," Dante said, "I've experienced several such incidents before."
"The Saint and the God Chosen are closely connected; they can use each other as coordinates for cross-dimensional teleportation."
Dante's explanation gave Lion El'Jonson and Azrael a completely new understanding of the God Chosen.
These fellows were actually the Emperor's emergency troops.
They were deployed wherever there was an urgent situation.
"Where did they go?" Lion El'Jonson asked.
"I don't know either; I'll have to ask Cortana."
......
On the surface of the Signus world,
A world-shaking battle was raging.
Mefiston's decision was extremely correct; upon realizing that the Chaos Gods wanted to seize the Archangel's fragments,
He decisively abandoned the breakout attempt, choosing to hold his ground and await reinforcements, seeking the Saint's help.
A few hours after the message was sent, the Saint descended, accompanied by a group of powerful God Chosen.
"Second Dad's speed is just fast."
Mefiston silently praised the Saint in his heart.
He knew the Saint would absolutely never abandon them.
As soon as Alex received Cortana's notification, he rushed over immediately.
After all, it concerned the resurrection of Sanguinius.
Accompanying him to Signus were the Emperor Niuma Battle Group and several other powerful Player organizations.
As soon as they landed, they quickly plunged into the battle, greatly reducing the pressure on Mefiston and the others.
After killing a few demons, Alex walked up to Mefiston.
"The Imperial Fleet is using the Webway to reinforce this area with all speed; just hold on for a little longer."
Mefiston took out Sanguinius's fragments, intending to hand them to Alex.
"Saint, I might not be able to protect the Archangel's soul fragments; it's better if you take them."
Alex shook his head and refused, "I'm even less capable. The Chaos Gods' attention is all on me; I can't deal with so many enemies."
Helpless, Mefiston could only guard them himself.
Alex used a skill to summon Players from all over the galaxy.
Beams of light descended from the sky.
After the radiance dissipated, fully armed Players appeared before the demons.
"Block those demons and await rescue."
Alex issued orders to the Players, telling them to hold the line at all costs.
"Targeted, this is absolutely targeted, a capitalist setup!"
The Dried Bacon of the Golden Throne gnashed his teeth, looking at the Chaos Greater Demons in front of him.
If there was only one, he would have considered himself unlucky.
But what the hell were four?
Even if he had violated heavenly laws, it shouldn't result in him encountering four Chaos Greater Demons as soon as he landed on the battlefield.
Moreover, they weren't from the same faction, but from four different factions.
What virtue and ability did he possess to have four Chaos Greater Demons from different factions dealing with him?
"Outsider, submit to the Gods," one Chaos Greater Demon spoke, trying to win over the outsider in front of him.
Dried Bacon tossed his hair, revealing a mocking expression.
"A bunch of weaklings, you're not worthy of recruiting me. I don't have much time, so all of you come at me."
Dried Bacon knew he couldn't win.
But even if he died, it wouldn't stop him from showing off.
Anyway, in an hour, he'd be a good man again.
It would be a pity not to show off now.