This is the bonus chapter for reaching 300 Powerstones.
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"Why don't you chop down these trees to build a fire?" Zeke asked Halin. "Do you not have tools?"
"It's not that," Halin replied. "The trees provide camouflage. If a sudden, conspicuous clearing appears in the forest, it will attract unnecessary trouble."
"Unnecessary trouble? Meaning?"
A look of terror washed over Halin's face, and he swallowed hard.
"As for specifics, I've only heard some people call them the Ten Thousand Eyes Warhost. We came to this beast-infested jungle specifically to hide from them."
"Someone get me a knife," Lion spoke up, setting the giant beast's corpse down. "My prey is waiting to be skinned."
"Of course, my Lord. I'll go fetch one for you right away." Halin apologized to Zeke, gesturing that he needed to go find a knife first.
Halin pushed his way through the gathered crowd, only to spot a figure at the edge of the camp.
He was much taller than those ordinary humans, yet slightly shorter than the Lion.
Clad in black armor with silver trim, his left pauldron proudly bore an insignia: a winged sword.
"Lord Guardian, you're here as well. Allow me to introduce you; it was these strangers who saved me from the jaws of the beasts."
Zeke noticed the Guardian who had just appeared: a Fallen Angel of the Dark Angels.
He was one of those Dark Angel veterans who, ten thousand years ago, due to a massive misunderstanding, had been hunted down as traitors by their own genetic father.
The sight of the Fallen Angel stimulated Lion El'Jonson. Surging memories breached his mind, scenes flashing rapidly before his eyes.
He remembered. His name was Lion El'Jonson, the Primarch of the First Legion.
And standing before him was his own son—a son who had betrayed him.
"It's you!" Eyes meeting, the Fallen Angel recognized this aged face. Hissing through gritted teeth, he drew two bolt pistols, which immediately spat tongues of fire.
The bolter rounds fired by the Fallen Angel tore through the air. Zeke calmly pulled out a shield and held it in front of him.
Behind him, Guilliman watched this scene in sheer bewilderment.
What just happened? Aren't sons supposed to welcome their Primarch? How could such a 'touching display of father-son affection' occur?
Lion and the Fallen Angel engaged in a fierce melee. Blades clashed, both sharing the singular goal of putting the other to death.
"This is the deepest hidden secret of the Dark Angels," Zeke whispered beside Guilliman.
A long, long time ago, when the Lion completed his mission and led his fleet back to his homeworld of Caliban, he was met with the planetary defense systems opening fire without any warning.
Lion El'Jonson believed that the sons left behind on Caliban had betrayed the Imperium and the Legion. Left with no other choice, he ordered a counterattack, unleashing a terrifying bombardment upon his homeworld.
A portion of the Dark Angels forces on the ground witnessed with their own eyes the Lion bombarding their planet, slaughtering countless recruits and brothers. They firmly believed that it was Lion El'Jonson who had betrayed them. Thus, the misunderstanding was permanently forged.
In reality, someone had been pulling strings in the shadows, sowing discord, which ultimately led to this horrific tragedy.
Guilliman was deeply shocked upon hearing this. He was completely unaware of such events.
"Of course you wouldn't know. The Fallen are one of the Dark Angels' greatest shames and secrets; they had long since locked down this information under layers of secrecy."
"Are you sure you want to know more?" Zeke asked.
Guilliman felt his heart drop. His intuition told him that some things were indeed better left unknown.
The 'touching display of father-son affection' continued.
The Lion did not want to drag the Fallen Angel's line of fire toward the nearby mortals, so he dove towards a sparsely populated area.
His hands touched the ground first to cushion his impact while simultaneously adjusting his center of gravity. Using his left hand as a pivot, he lifted his feet, tapped the ground, and vaulted out once more, arriving directly in front of the Fallen Angel in the blink of an eye.
The Fallen Angel tried to raise his weapons, but the Lion casually swatted his bolt pistols away.
Before the Fallen Angel could even reach the combat knife at his waist, Lion had him pinned dead to the ground.
He swept a glance over the battle-hardened, scar-covered black armor, which bore various insignias that were profoundly mysterious to anyone outside the Legion.
But the Lion was intimately familiar with every single mark, recognizing them like the faces of old friends. "A Knight of the Second Destroyer Squad, Third Company of the Fifteenth Chapter. You are Zabriel."
Hearing his own name called out, the Fallen Angel gave up struggling.
"Let him go!" someone screamed. "He is our Guardian!"
"He is a traitor," the Lion barked. "A traitor attempting to murder me once again."
"You are the traitor here!" the Fallen Angel pinned beneath him roared.
"Lies!" the Lion bellowed.
"I'm lying? Then where have you been these past ten thousand years?!" Zabriel demanded. "After bombarding Caliban, why did you disappear without a single word of explanation?"
"What kind of snide mockery is this?" the Lion growled low. "I cannot explain why I fell into slumber, but one thing is perfectly clear: the moment you laid eyes on me, you tried to kill me once again."
If they were allowed to keep arguing, who knew how long it would last.
Zeke stepped forward. "Alright, you two. I believe we can sit down and have a proper chat."
"Who are you, and why should we listen to you?!" Lion and the Fallen Angel Zabriel snapped in unison.
"Who am I? Since you've asked so sincerely," Zeke grabbed Guilliman and pulled him over. "I will benevolently tell you: to protect the world from devastation! To guard the peace of the world!"
"I am Zeke, and this here is Smurf. We are the saviors soaring through the galaxy!"
This barrage of theatrical words bluffed both of them. Zabriel stared at Zeke's face, a look of sudden realization dawning on him.
"I recognize you. You're the human who resurrected the Great Angel."
The combination of the words resurrected and Great Angel sent thousands of thoughts howling through the Lion's mind. He remembered the events of the past.
Horus, that pathetic traitor; the noble yet tragic Sanguinius; and the annoying Guilliman.
And Terra, ablaze because of his late arrival, and Caliban burning to ruins right beside him.
It was an incredibly terrible feeling. The accumulated grief of many years hit him once again like a tidal wave crashing into his face, threatening to knock him down completely.
Lion El'Jonson stepped back, staring at Zeke in disbelief.
"Explain to me, what does 'resurrection of the Great Angel' mean?" The Lion couldn't care less about who was or wasn't a Fallen Angel right now, issuing a firm command to Zabriel.
Seeing the Lion looking as though he might weep with joy, Zabriel became increasingly uncertain about whether the Lion had actually betrayed the Dark Angels or the Imperium.
Regardless, under the weight of this shocking news, the two of them finally put down their conflict for the time being and simultaneously gathered around Zeke.
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Next Goal: 450 Powerstones.