"So that's the whole story..." Bruce explained everything honestly and in full.
Why Horus had come looking for him, why she had fallen asleep first and then woken up again, why he had ended up in Lion's room, and most importantly, why he had been standing there wearing nothing but a pair of boxers instead of putting on his power armor and blue robe.
Of course, he still chose to keep the most important parts to himself.
For example, why he had drugged Lion.
And how he could drink a transformation potion and turn into the Emperor.
Those two things absolutely could not be said out loud.
If the former got out to the Dark Angels, he would definitely be killed.
And if the latter became known outside the inner circle… well, he'd be finished.
Being able to turn into the Emperor was simply too shocking. If the fanatics on Holy Terra ever found out, there was no way he would avoid either a summons or an assassination attempt.
"But… Acting Commander..." the sharp-minded Loken said, voicing his doubt, "why was Lady Lion sleeping so soundly?"
"You said you gave her half a pot of that bean soup. Does that thing normally have a sedative effect?"
That's why I hate smart people. My secrets must be protected.
"I was the one who put her to sleep," Curze said at that moment.
"She was being a nuisance. I was afraid she'd interfere in my fight with Horus and get carried away, because that's just how she is."
"You wouldn't have wanted to see the Vengeful Spirit reduced to rubble, would you?"
The two primarchs had already torn apart an entire room with only a slight exchange.
If three primarchs had started brawling at once, the consequences were impossible to imagine.
"!!!"
Bruce almost failed to suppress the joy surging inside him.
Yes! That's my father for you!
"So that's what happened..." Everyone immediately understood.
That made sense.
"So according to what you said, my father still has another soul inside her?" Abaddon asked.
That was also the question the Sons of Horus cared about most.
Their father had only just woken up, and now Bruce was telling them she might still turn into someone else at any moment?
That was obviously a serious problem.
"Let me explain." Seeing the Sons of Horus all tense up, Bruce hurried to clarify. "First of all, this isn't some kind of medical accident. I already worked my ass off dragging your father back from Chaos."
"Second, as for why things turned out like this..."
Bruce paused, then turned and shouted at the blue raccoon-cat.
"Doraemon! Help me out here!"
"Coming, coming."
Doraemon put away his stock-monitoring gadget and slowly waddled over.
Scratching his head, he said, "It's probably because Warmaster Horus's soul was already incomplete to begin with, so things ended up like this. But you really don't need to worry. Cases where the other one temporarily takes over the body should be extremely rare."
"I think it happened because Wang spent time telling the Warmaster Amiya's story, and that stirred up the other soul. Give them a little time to settle and it should be fine."
"What? According to you, doesn't that mean our father could become someone else?!" Abaddon demanded.
"Well, you can't put it that way. Let me ask you this, Captain Abaddon." Doraemon raised a reasoned objection. "When you look at Warmaster Horus as she is now, do you still feel the resonance? The unique resonance between you and your primarch?"
"Yes... I do," Abaddon admitted, unable to deny it.
The reason the whole upper command of the Legion had accepted Horus so quickly, even after she had turned into a little rabbit-eared girl, was precisely because of that.
The resonance between a primarch and an Astartes was absolutely real.
It was a unique bond that belonged only to them.
It allowed them to sense one another's existence, and it also strengthened the Astartes in battle.
Other things could be faked.
That one could not.
How could he fail to know whether she was really his father?
"Then that's enough." Doraemon spread his hands. "So yes, Wang and I really did save the Warmaster. Otherwise, under those circumstances, your only options were to watch her die or to watch her be completely corrupted by Chaos."
"But isn't there any other solution? After all... your father still has someone else's soul in her," Little Horus said worriedly. "If that other person makes a bad decision while controlling Father's body, wouldn't that be a serious threat to both the Legion and the Imperium?"
"First, they're already the same person now. Whether it's memory or ability, even if she changes, you're still her sons, and completing the Great Crusade is still her goal. If I had to point out the only difference..." Doraemon hesitated, then glanced at Bruce, "it'd probably just be a slight change in personality. Overall, the impact should be minimal."
"So Father's more like someone with two personalities? That's a fair way to understand it, right?" Torgaddon asked with his usual grin.
While the other three members of the Mournival looked worried, Torgaddon had already seen through the situation. Or rather, he simply didn't think it was that big a deal.
Their father had already turned into a rabbit-girl. Was a slight change in personality really harder to accept than that?
"Yes, you can understand it that way. But as time goes on, the two personalities will gradually merge, and only one will remain the dominant self."
"But honestly, that's a good thing too. If Warmaster Horus ever gets corrupted by Chaos again, the other personality can take over and hold the line. In a way, it's a double layer of insurance." Doraemon even made sure to point out the upside.
"..." The Sons of Horus exchanged glances, but in the end they accepted it.
In the final analysis, it came down to the same issue as before:
As long as their father was alive, everything else could be tolerated.
After all, they had nearly lost her.
No outcome could possibly be worse than losing her entirely.
People knew how to compromise.
And apparently, that logic applied to Astartes too.
Once your father's gone, he's gone.
Just as everyone was starting to relax after having their doubts addressed, Loken—who had kept a deep frown on his face the whole time—spoke up again.
"I still have one question."
He looked at the Atramentar standing in line with Bruce and the others.
"How exactly did you get here from Nostramo so suddenly? I asked the captain. He said no ship had been detected approaching at all."
"?!"
The Sons of Horus, who had only just relaxed, instantly tensed again.
That was a perfectly valid question.
Even Warp travel couldn't be that silent.
As for teleportation beacons—could they really work over such distances?
That made the matter very interesting.
Did the Night Lords have some kind of transmission technology no one else knew about?
If so, that was downright terrifying.
"..."
Bruce fell silent, unsure how to explain it.
He knew it had been the Anywhere Door, but the problem was that a miraculous tool like that couldn't be casually revealed, not with this many people present.
If technology that absurdly useful got out—if Holy Terra learned of it, or if the Mechanicus did—they'd come racing over in the middle of the night to seize it. First come, first served.
At that moment, Bruce really wanted to yell:
"Loken! Could you maybe look at the room before asking that kind of question?!"
"That is no longer something you need concern yourself with, Garviel Loken."
Seeing the atmosphere freeze, Curze finally stepped in and made her stance unmistakably clear. Her voice was flat, as though she were discussing something utterly ordinary.
"Every Legion has its own secrets. The Eighth has them. The Sixteenth has them. Even my elder brother has them. And on top of that, we just helped save your primarch."
"If you insist on digging deeper, what if you dig up something unpleasant?"
"..." Faced with that unspoken pressure, Loken could only lower his head and nod.
No matter how one looked at it, the Eighth Legion had done the Sixteenth a great service. Since even Curze herself was drawing the line here, continuing to press the matter would only make them look ungrateful.
Besides, Curze had made her point clearly.
They were all tied together now.
Was he really sure he wanted to keep prying?
"All right. This little night of amusement is over." Curze made the declaration. "Everyone go home. When your primarch wakes up, have her come see me, agreed?"
"Yes..." the Sons of Horus replied in reluctant obedience.
"Let them sleep here. I'll return to the Remilia," Bruce said, stopping Abaddon and Loken when they moved to carry Horus away.
That little rabbit weighed ten tons. How long were the two of them planning to haul her back to the primarch's quarters? Better not bother.
The members of the Mournival exchanged a few looks and silently accepted the suggestion.
Soon afterward, the Sons of Horus filed out of the room one by one. When the last of them left and quietly closed the door behind him, the muscles Bruce had kept tense all this time finally loosened.
"All right now..."
Curze suddenly pressed a hand onto Bruce's head and tilted it back, smiling as she looked down at him.
"Recruit~ now perhaps you'd like to explain why, in the middle of the night, you were drugging my elder brother?"
This was bad.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 138)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter160)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter175)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 163
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 150
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 170
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 145
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 125
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 100
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 90
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 55
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 55
Still playing traditional Honk 35
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 35
What Should I Do After Switchi 24
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 35
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 27
Transmigrated as Sukuna 27
Checking In in Demon Slayer 32
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