[Caleb: Lion! No need to hold back anymore!]
[Execute the plan exactly as you intended. I highly appreciate this strategy!]
[No matter how heavy the cost, it is worth it!]
[If we are to rid the Imperium of Chaos' influence, these bugs are the first step!]
Unlike Guilliman, whose signal was notoriously poor, Lion's reception was crystal clear. Every word from Caleb resonated in her heart. Lion understood that her arrival at Macragge was precisely for this purpose.
Turning back to look at Guilliman, who was still repeating the same tired arguments, Lion decided to cast aside any "sisterly" sentiment. The Emperor had issued the mandate; as His sword, she had only to strike!
Lion stepped forward. With a swift motion, she reached out and yanked Guilliman by the ear!
"Ah, ow, ow, ow! Wait, Lion, what are you doing?!"
"Don't pinch my cheeks! It hurts!"
Guilliman spoke in a voice that was somewhat soft and milky—an adorable tone, yet one that carried a certain underlying maturity.
[Sicarius: Dammit, I want to squeeze the Primarch-Mom's cheeks too!]
Though Sicarius was a bit annoyed, the woman before him was, after all, the Primarch of the First Legion—strictly speaking, the older sister of his own "loli-mom." Seeing the interaction, it seemed more like a lecture between siblings. As "cubs," they really couldn't interfere.
"Guilliman, your signal is fucking terrible. Don't drag your sister down with you!"
"Father has spoken. We execute according to my plan. You should have heard Father's instructions to you as well, right?"
Guilliman froze, a look of sudden realization washing over her youthful face.
"That was... Dad?"
"How is that possible? That voice echoing in the depths of my soul—isn't that Chaos corruption?"
As soon as Guilliman spoke, Lion was rendered speechless. It seemed Guilliman didn't just have a bad signal; she couldn't even tell who was calling her. To Lion, the ID was clear; to Guilliman, it was just an "Unknown Caller." It made sense why she wouldn't answer—some people just never pick up for unknown numbers.
"The Emperor is a God!"
Lion's words nearly caused Guilliman to have a physical reaction. To the current Lion, she was simply stating a fact. But to Guilliman...
A sister loyal to the Emperor would never say such a thing!
Setting aside her playful mood, Guilliman quickly pushed her sister away. "Lion, don't talk nonsense! The Emperor is not a god!"
"I just heard Father's teachings. He told me to let loose and do what must be done, regardless of the cost!"
"Back then, Father's greatest taboo was being called a god. Have you forgotten the Monarchia incident?"
Guilliman stabbed her sword into the ground. Though the Emperor's Sword had lost its original luster and its burning flames were extinguished, it remained a holy relic—perfectly capable of purifying demons.
[Caleb: Oh no, the signal-deprived Guilliman probably misheard again!]
[What's wrong with her? Could Tzeentch have tampered with her?]
[The Emperor: How can the signal be this bad? No, wait... it seems we might need to let her 'die' once.]
[Why is Guilliman's Warp essence fractured? This isn't right.]
Hearing the Emperor's echo over the board, Caleb remembered that the Guilliman piece he placed might have had a slight flaw. This Guilliman might have been laced with some of "Linde's" private additions. When Linde created the piece, those superfluous marks he added likely carried Warp tethers!
This truly might be the handiwork of the Chaos Gods. Caleb had to figure it out.
"Wait... Slaanesh!"
Caleb suddenly noticed the sigil on Guilliman's chest emitting a faint purple glow. He realized who was behind this—this farce was being directed by Chaos!
He expanded his vision to cover all of Ultramar. Soon, Caleb discovered two massive silhouettes already watching the sector. While the shadow of the Great Devourer (Tyranids) loomed over the area, its passage through the Warp was like a swarm of locusts—obvious and disruptive.
Fulgrim's previous wounding of Guilliman hadn't been for nothing. Slaanesh had indeed contaminated a portion of her Warp essence, causing the signal from both Caleb and the Emperor to be garbled.
"I see!"
Caleb had a moment of epiphany. He had underestimated the other "players," especially Slaanesh. His friend Linde was the true "Slaanesh" here; he had been so focused on watching the Slaanesh on the board that he almost forgot about the one in the real universe!
[Caleb: Knock Guilliman out and take her back!]
[Her Warp essence seems contaminated. Until she's purified, you must watch over your sister!]
[Lion: Don't worry, Dad. I have no interest in doing overtime on Terra!]
[I'll definitely bring her back to you—to do the overtime in my place!]
[After all, when it comes to governing the Imperium, I'm not exactly an expert.]
Seeing Lion's attitude, Caleb felt relieved. He trusted Lion to handle a fight; as a "sword," she was more than qualified.
The atmosphere between the two Primarchs became tense. Lion had heard the message in full—it was a direct order for her to lead. Guilliman, however, had only caught the "let loose" part. Instead of bringing them together, Caleb's words had driven a wedge between the sisters.
Guilliman shoved Lion back, and both sides fell into a combat stance.
"Doraemon Anywhere Door!"
Lion always prepared for the worst. Before arriving, she had brought along the "Clap Stickers" left by Doraemon to set a coordinate. Even though Doraemon was currently busy on the Time Machine, throwing down an Anywhere Door to teleport a squad of "cubs" was no trouble.
"Azrael! What are you doing?"
"Are you trying to attack our Gene-Primarch? This is rebellion! This is betrayal!"
Sicarius couldn't hold back either and started calling for reinforcements. Immediately, a large group of Honor Guard members surrounded their Primarch. They raised their heavy shields, protecting Guilliman and ensuring she remained the core of the formation.
[Tzeentch: It is done. Now the entire Imperium knows the First Legion are traitors!]
[I have twisted the fate of a Custodian.]
Just as the situation reached a boiling point, Tzeentch—the weaver of fate—stepped in to stir the pot. A Custodian, who had been lost in the Warp, stepped out from the void. Though he had no Sisters of Silence with him, he had sealed his mind to remain immune to the Warp's influence.
Tzeentch hadn't corrupted the Custodian's mind; instead, the Custodian was simply there to deliver a "mandate" from the Imperial Palace on Terra.
"By order of the Emperor: The First Legion are traitors!"
"From this day forth, the First Legion shall be purged from the Imperium. All loyalists must participate in the extermination of the First Legion!"
"What the hell? Are you kidding me?" Lion growled. "I've literally met my Father in person, and now I'm a traitor?"
"Guilliman, this Custodian has fallen into a Chaos trap! Deal with him immediately!"
"Do you trust your sister, or this Custodian? Give me an answer now!"
At this moment, Guilliman had no trust left to give. The arrival of the Custodian sowed deep suspicion toward her sister. With past lessons still fresh in her mind, Guilliman didn't dare gamble with the safety of her Legion.
Guilliman glanced at the Custodian, then at her Honor Guard.
"If a Custodian says it, it must be true. They are soul-bound to my Father!"
"Since the Custodes have declared the First Legion traitors, there is nothing more to say!"
[Caleb: Dammit!]
[The Emperor: Huh?]
Watching the battle devolve, Caleb broke into a cold sweat. The difficulty of this mission had spiked. He thought it would be Ultramarines vs. Tyranids, but involving the First Legion had triggered this disaster.
Wait... when the First Legion was traveling through the Warp, the Chaos Gods definitely knew! The trajectory of The Rock had always been under their gaze. And as a player who had pranked the Chaos Gods so many times, they weren't going to just sit there like idiots and keep taking hits.
This was Tzeentch's handiwork—the God of Schemes and Deception. When it came to screwing people over, Tzeentch was a pro.
"Fine then, Guilliman. It looks like I'll have to knock some sense into you!"
"You'd believe a Custodian who just popped out of the Warp? Did it ever occur to you that he might be a fake?"
Lion raised the Emperor's Shield and gripped the Great Sword of Caliban, preparing to lung forward and cut down the Custodian. However, she suddenly heard a voice in her mind. Caleb had already sensed Tzeentch's ploy.
[Caleb: Calm down!]
Lion's footsteps faltered for a moment. But that moment gave the Ultramarines enough of an opening. Guilliman, Sicarius, and the other Ultramarines charged at Lion, seemingly intent on protecting the Custodian.
When Lion swung the Great Sword of Caliban, she was met not by her target, but by wall after wall of solid shields! The fields of the Storm Shields successfully dissipated the force of her blow. Her sword was not a divine relic, and thus, it failed to cleave through their defense.
"Dammit!"
Lion retreated a few steps. Behind her, the Dark Angels could no longer stand by. Seeing their Primarch engage, they had no choice but to follow!
Azrael shouted: "With me! For the Lioness!"
Lion had once instructed that for secret missions, they were permitted to use a different battle cry. The use of this cry meant that every detail of this battle had to remain a secret. Once the fighting was over, the memory would be buried in the deepest vaults of the Inner Circle. This was a necessity, and Lion didn't even blame Azrael for the embarrassing nature of the shout.
In an instant, a fierce battle erupted inside the bridge. Dark Angels and Ultramarines—the elites of both sides—were killing each other aboard the Macragge's Glory!
"Argh!"
Seeing the small Warp rift, Caleb angrily slammed down an Obelisk. Though this Obelisk only cost a few dozen deployment points and quickly closed the rift, Tzeentch's scheming had already taken a massive toll.
The main Ultramar fleet, originally engaged with the Tyranids, fell into chaos. Upon hearing that their flagship had been boarded by a "traitor Legion," many Ultramarine Strike Cruisers didn't even stop to confirm the identity of the ship. They launched boarding torpedoes, sending waves of Space Marines to support their "Gene-Mother."
"Bastard, Guilliman! You really think I'm a pushover?!"
"When I catch you and drag you back, I'm going to make you repent properly!"
"Dad has been putting up with you for a long time!"
"This time, I'm bringing you back to do enough overtime to pay for your sins!"
Lion was already annoyed by the recent Imperial investigations into the First Legion. Now, a Custodian shows up with a "decree" calling her a traitor? As the Emperor's sharpest sword and eldest daughter, she knew what He thought! She was literally chatting with Him every day. For a Custodian to suddenly appear and declare her a traitor was pure madness.
Lion clashed with Guilliman. In a 1v1, Lion could easily handle her. However, Guilliman was still brilliant and tactical. After a few exchanges, Guilliman realized she couldn't win a duel against her sister, so she coordinated her Ultramarines to assist. Through teamwork, they managed to pin the Lion down.
"It's over, it's all going wrong!"
"I can't worry about the little Lion right now. I have to deploy Naval units to reinforce the Agri-Worlds immediately!"
Watching the stalemate inside the Macragge's Glory, a stressed Caleb turned his attention away from the infighting. He knew Tzeentch had engineered this civil war to distract him. Breaking the deadlock wouldn't be easy.
Reviewing the enemy's moves, Caleb realized he was now facing four fronts: Nurgle, Slaanesh, Tzeentch, and the Great Devourer. Chaos was acting as the spoiler in Ultramar, while the Tyranids had become the primary killing force.
"For Macragge! For Ultramar!"
As the Star Phantoms engaged in a brutal meat grinder against the swarm, the units Caleb had secretly embedded within their ranks began to rack up kills. Thankfully, he hadn't put all his pieces on the Macragge's Glory, or they would have been lost in the chaos.
[Congratulations! Player has obtained Tyranid Warrior piece x23.]
[Congratulations! Player has obtained Lictor piece x1.]
"Wait!"
Looking at the pieces popping up on the board, Caleb quickly snatched them up. These bug pieces were small, but they were deployable.
Maybe he could save some deployment points by letting the dogs eat the dogs!"