"This can't possibly be real, can it?"
Inside the Spirit Bone Battleship, Natasé stared at the scene before him with an expression of utter disbelief. For a long time, the Aeldari had regarded humans as nothing more than barbarians—a mere horde of savage apes who knew nothing of the universe's true nature and blindly worshipped a rotting corpse.
The fact that Nurgle's Septicus could undergo a phenotypic transformation completely overturned this understanding.
The Aeldari were relentlessly hunted by Slaanesh, with no escape, forever living in terror. Yet humans had defeated the great Daemon Nurgle, transformed him into the Angel of Life, and successfully brought him into their own ranks.
"The Greater Daemons and the Gods are one and the same. How could he possibly change?"
"Could something like this truly happen in the material universe?"
Natasé felt as though his entire worldview was collapsing.
In the Warp, the Chaos Gods were likely the most powerful beings, and even the real universe could only exile them. The Emperor was the sole exception—his power could annihilate daemons, completely erase their twisted nature, and render them impossible to revive. That was why the Emperor and his kind were called the Anathema.
But what these Nameless figures were doing now was even more terrifying. They had reversed the nature of a Warp Daemon and pulled the entity into their own camp. This was horrifying. Even Chaos itself could not match them.
"Why has no such being ever been born among our own kind?" Natasé's tone was bitter. If their race had possessed an Nameless One, they would surely have reclaimed their former glory and achieved brilliant feats that surpassed even the ancient saints.
The Aeldari clearly possessed a far more advanced civilization than humanity. They had dominated the galaxy for countless years and accomplished many great deeds. So why had no Nameless One ever emerged among their people? How cruel this world was.
...
Planet Parmenio
After the battle, numerous Mechanicus vessels descended from planetary orbit to the surface, delivering vast quantities of supplies and beginning reconstruction efforts. Battlefield wreckage was cleared away, and the bodies of the traitors were incinerated. Clerics of the Ecclesiarchy sang hymns as they purified the corruption left behind by Chaos.
Datch also assisted in the reconstruction, enlisting Pugh and Orange to help restore the planet's vitality. The name "Orange" was simply the mutated Septicus, but hearing it still evoked a sense of nature.
Thanks to Pugh and Orange's cooperation, Planet Parmenio quickly overflowed with vitality. Everywhere one looked, vibrant scenes filled the view. Their acts of healing the wounded and saving the planet led the Imperium's people to view them as angels serving the Emperor and the Nameless Ones.
When statues of the Nameless Ones were created, statues of these two were often made alongside them to commemorate their contributions in bringing life back to the world. However, people implicitly positioned Pugh as closer to the Nameless One—because Pugh sat on the nameless man's shoulder. To others, this was clear evidence of greater favor.
After repelling the traitors led by Mortarion, the Imperial fleet did not linger. At Guilliman's command, the fleet's duty personnel departed the system's orbit and returned to Macragge via the same route they had arrived. There, they would assemble a massive army in preparation to fight Mortarion on the world of the Plague Ax.
Once the reconstruction of Parmenio was complete, Datch—who had no assigned duties—returned with the main force. He rode his cool mechanical warhorse everywhere, drawing the attention of ground troops wherever he went and occasionally hiring servants.
Honestly, even after so much time had passed, they still could not understand the nameless man's thought process. Riding a warhorse around inside a warship was one thing, but he would occasionally open boxes, rummage through them for money or beautiful handicrafts, and turn everything upside down. Every time they finished and saw the frantic, disorganized mess, it was both hilarious and infuriating.
Many crew members felt helpless and reached a tacit agreement: In times of danger, the Nameless Ones were the most reliable support. As long as he was there, the Imperium of Man would surely achieve victory. When there was no danger, the Nameless One was the greatest danger of all.
If one day you returned home from work to find every box opened and the place looking completely ransacked... it was undoubtedly the work of the nameless man.
That nameless man not only opened boxes everywhere but also dashed into the lower decks' cabins to drag card-playing crew members into games.
"Come on, let's gamble and find out who the true God of Gamblers is."
Generally, the nameless one lost everything. But occasionally, after losing too much, he would become unbelievably lucky at gambling and win everything from the crew.
At such times, he would usually prop one foot on the table, laugh loudly, and declare to everyone:
"I am the God of Gamblers! Who else dares challenge me?"
"I just want to win all of you—or rather, I simply want to win all of you."
"..."
...
At Guilliman's will, a vast number of Imperial warships gathered at the outer edge of the Macragge star system. They blanketed the sky, even dimming the stars.
Datch had lost everything once again and burst out of a lower-deck cabin. He planned to ransack Guilliman's or Carken's quarters for valuables before fighting the NPCs again.
But when he looked out a porthole and saw numerous warships using orbital jumps to head toward Macragge, he suddenly remembered his infrastructure development plan.
"How did I get so hooked on card games? I should use the points I have on infrastructure projects first."
Datch was impulsive. He immediately grabbed his teleportation gun, returned to the Astral Express, and decided to repair the roads first.
"Nameless Traveler, are you setting off on another journey, Dad?" Pam asked, bowing her head upon seeing Datch return.
Datch nodded. "Yes."
"So, where are we going this time?" Pam returned to the driver's seat, operating various buttons on the control panel as the Astral Express prepared to depart.
Datch opened the Milky Way star chart and began planning the road construction.
Terra would definitely be the first planet—after all, it was humanity's homeworld. First, they would connect Macragge and Terra. That would make travel between the two regions much easier for accepting quests.
With the Star Rail, there would be no need to waste teleportation fluid. After adjusting the stellar orbits of Terra and Macragge, the next steps would be Fenris and Macragge, Chogoris and Macragge, Nocturne and Macragge, and the Founding Chapters and Macragge.
In any case, they were all connected to Macragge. After all, the Ultramarines' bloodline accounted for three-quarters of the Imperium's Astartes. Since Guilliman was also the Lord Regent of the Imperium, the story of Macragge would undoubtedly be the most important.
Therefore, building a stellar system centered on Macragge would be in their best interest.
Datch's fingers slid quickly across the star chart, highlighting the target locations for road repairs and transmitting them to Pam.
"This train will carry all its passengers to freedom."
Pam's energetic voice rang out, and the rhythmic, deep pulse of the engines echoed through the train. Brilliant bluish-white energy gathered at the front of the carriage and spread across the entire body.
The space ahead of the train rippled like the surface of a lake struck by a massive boulder, sending out grand waves.
The dazzling starlight stretched into long bands of light, gradually solidifying and stabilizing.
Divinatory arrays aboard many Imperial warships detected the anomaly and sounded alarms. High-ranking Imperial commanders and captains all turned their attention to the Astral Express's course.
As they watched in confusion, the Astral Express opened a spatial passage and plunged inside.
...
Terra's low orbit was the most heavily defended airspace in the Imperium of Man—especially after Datch had rebuilt Terra. Its surveillance network covered an extremely wide area, with thousands of monitoring stations, scan arrays, and psionic sensors functioning as sentinels day and night, constantly scanning every corner of space.
The Astral Express completed its jump and appeared near Terra, where it was immediately detected.
["Red Alert! Red Alert! Unidentified spatiotemporal energy has appeared in No-Fly Zone Zeta-1."]
["Target confirmed! Non-standard vessel signature. Data profile match... no match. Belongs to an intruding flight object."]
["Orbital defense platform's automatic target acquisition system activated. Escort Fleet's 3rd and 7th squadrons are maneuvering to engage the enemy craft."]
["Confirm fire authorization! I repeat, confirm fire authorization! Eliminate the unidentified intruder!"]
The massive orbital defense platform closest to the Astral Express, equipped with machine-spirit-controlled macro-cannon arrays and lance towers, completed a series of actions—traverse, elevation, lock-on—at extremely high speed.
A blinding flash erupted from the cannon muzzles, instantly illuminating the cold void.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!! SCREECH—!!!
Huge, sturdy shells and scorching lances of light intertwined, forming a dense net of death. It hurtled straight toward the Astral Express, which had just finished its cosmic jump.
Terra's escort fleet moved with a thunderous roar, like a swarm of startled hornets. Gun ports along the warships' sides opened in unison and spat fire.
Datch had no intention of staying near Terra. Before the bombardment arrived, the Astral Express had already jumped again, leaving only a hole of light behind.
The fierce barrage pierced the void uselessly, achieving nothing.
When Terra's defenders investigated the portal, they quickly discovered it was a means of instantaneous travel to Macragge. Several light-hole passages connected to other star systems already existed on Macragge.
This information instantly drew the attention of various departments across the Imperium.
Imperial Chancellor Tieron immediately convened a meeting of high nobles to discuss the light caves.
Inside the Senatorum Imperialis, high nobles sat around a large round table. Before them lay the report submitted by the Mechanicus.
"The spatiotemporal hole located in near-Terra orbit forms a stable passage to Macragge, allowing instantaneous travel across 13,500 light-years to reach the outer edge of the Macragge star system."
The message was concise, but its impact left even seasoned Imperial officials speechless.
"From Macragge, a spatiotemporal portal connected to Terra... and instantaneous arrival?"
Violeta Roskavler, the current Master of the Administratum, was the first to break the silence.
"This is absurd," said Kadak Mir, envoy of the Paternoval. "How could all this be accomplished without the Warp?"
"Macragge has many routes leading to other locations. It is clear that Macragge has replaced Terra as the center of the Imperium."
Lucius Throde, Master of the Astronomican, made a highly rude remark.
Trajann nodded lightly upon hearing these words. Macragge replacing Terra as the Imperial center was an extremely serious matter.
"According to the information, Macragge has also transformed into a holy land," said Assassin Fadix as he activated a projection.
The displayed Macragge looked like a heavenly realm from myth. Upon seeing this scene, the high lords exchanged glances, filling the air with doubt and dissatisfaction.
Terra was the capital of the Imperium. Shouldn't the construction of this faster-than-light travel network have been centered on Terra? Why was Macragge built as the center, and why was it constructed so beautifully?
It was obvious they wanted to support Macragge as the new galactic center for politics, economy, and culture, replacing Terra. In other words, on the very day the Emperor abdicated, the capital would immediately move to Macragge?
…
Similar discussions were taking place on the planet Fenris, on the opposite side of the galaxy. Shortly after the stellar orbit was laid, the Astral Express departed.
The Space Wolves led by Logan Grimnar received reports of the anomaly and discovered the entrance to the stellar trail floating in the void. Exploration of the light cave's entrance revealed that it allowed instantaneous travel to Macragge.
This discovery shocked the wolf pack. They immediately gathered wolf leaders from across the Great Companies to the Fang for a meeting to discuss the matter.
"An instantaneous passage to Macragge!?"
"What exactly is Guilliman trying to do?"
Logan furrowed his brow and stroked his coarse chin beard.
The Alpha Wolf's words enveloped the Fang's council chamber in silence.
The Wolf Lords looked at one another, but none dared voice an opinion.
The topic was far too delicate.
"Hmph!"
An ancient, fearless mechanical being spoke. It was Bjorn, respectfully called "the Old One," who had once served as the Wolf King's bodyguard. Even after the Wolf King departed, he continued to lead the Space Wolves in battle. After suffering grievous wounds in combat, he was finally interred in a Dreadnought. His wisdom and prestige were extremely high among the wolf pack. Even the Alpha Wolf treated him with the utmost respect.
All the Wolf Lords turned their gazes to Bjorn and waited for the elder to continue.
"As I have said before, Guilliman is a cunning businessman, and his ambitions are by no means small."
"We must remain vigilant against that man. We absolutely cannot allow him to reach for the seat of the Allfather."
Alpha Wolf Logan and the other Wolf Lords nodded in agreement with the elder's words.
The acceptance of the Primaris Space Marines had been solely due to the manifestation of the Nameless One and the Emperor.
The reason they had never abandoned their suspicions toward Guilliman was not because of the existence of the Primaris Space Marines. In hindsight, those suspicions had been correct.
...
In the White Scars monastery on Chogoris, featuring white scars.
Jubal Khan stared at the light hole displayed in the projected image. At first, everyone had been equally shocked—the technology was simply too miraculous. After learning that it connected to Ultramar, they all began to suspect Guilliman.
Even when heading to Terra, one would need to pass through Macragge. This situation immediately suggested that something was wrong. It was clearly an attempt to replace Terra and become the center of the Imperium.
...
The Macragge's Honour
Guilliman, who was always buried in governmental affairs, learned about the nameless man's road construction plan later than anyone else. When he discovered that the other side had built multiple stellar orbits centered on Macragge, he felt as though the sky was collapsing.
He stood by the porthole, looking utterly disheveled. Although the stubborn high nobles had been purged, there were still people in the Imperium who believed he intended to usurp the throne from the Emperor. Now that the Nameless Ones had built Macragge as the orbital center, wouldn't this speculation be confirmed?
It was exactly the kind of situation where one could get dragged in just by sitting at home.
The nameless man had completely ignored his orders, but others did not see it that way. The nameless man had been by Robert Guilliman's side for so long—nobody would believe he wouldn't listen to what Guilliman said.
If we didn't listen to you, would you have built the orbital center all the way to Macragge?
The ambitious one trying to seize the throne is you, Robert Guilliman.
The appearance of the stellar trails caused great turmoil and bred suspicion and unease among various factions.
However, the emergence of the stellar trails completely changed the pace of war in the Imperium of Man.
At the assembly anchorage in the Macragge star system, numerous warships floated in the air. Conventionally, assembling such a large fleet required long adjustment periods, complex navigation calculations, and dealing with the uncertainties of warp travel.
The first reunion procedures often took several months to complete.
The appearance of the Star Orbit network simplified everything. It became possible to assemble an unprecedentedly large fleet in just a few days.
Communication lines on Macragge's Honour were congested to the point of nearly boiling over. When they learned that the Emperor had manifested on Planet Parmenio and that Guilliman was planning the final decisive battle against Mortarion and the Warp Daemons on the world of the Plague Ax, all forces temporarily set aside their suspicions of Guilliman and began sending reinforcements to him.
Even the Mountain Arrays defending Terra used the Star Orbit to reach Macragge, intending to unleash the Emperor's wrath upon the traitors and daemons.
In just a few days, a fleet of unimaginable scale was assembled.
…
At that moment, Datch saw a golden exclamation mark appear above Guilliman's head. There was a new development in the mission's story.
He immediately used Rick's teleportation gun to return directly to the Grand Strategium of Macragge's Honour.
"Everything is ready, Nameless One. Let us begin."
Guilliman looked at the nameless man and spoke.
"This battle must completely shatter Mortarion and the arrogance of the Warp."