This period had been far too difficult for this contingent of the Black Templars. Not only had they failed to defend Cadia, but they had also been hunted like dogs all the way here. Thankfully, the Emperor had shown his grace and thrown them to the Primarch's side.
But no matter what, they felt like stray dogs who had lost their homes. For fanatics who valued honor and loyalty to the Emperor above all else, this was the ultimate humiliation. Under normal circumstances, they all should have died a glorious death. A Son of Dorn would rather die on the battlefield.
However, to deliver the Armor of Fate and the hope of resurrecting Guilliman, they had endured the humiliation and fled, acting as escorts.
Now, they had finally washed away their shame, successfully banishing that Bloodthirster. Although several battle-brothers had fallen, it was an acceptable loss for them. At this moment, the Black Templar Champion and Marshal, still in their gray, unpainted armor, prayed in silence, giving thanks to the Primarch and the Emperor.
---o---
Konrad Curze, meanwhile, looked over at the Tech-Priests and Apothecaries who had come over. Unfortunately, his flock of Batmen had no Apothecaries of their own. He had to rely on others to do the work.
Seeing the group approach, Konrad Curze took a deep breath to calm himself.
Now that the battle was over, the white, floral light once again enveloped the entire space. Earlier, when the aura of Khorne was overwhelmingly thick, this light couldn't manifest at all.
Now, everyone's wounds were gradually healing, but the dead could not be resurrected.
So…
"Medics, piece these few together. Let them recover slowly in the light of the holy relic."
Just then, several medics carried over a few unlucky souls who had been bisected. Wounds inflicted by Chaos were not simple injuries. They couldn't be healed easily, even if they were from Khorne and not Nurgle.
Two of them hadn't been able to hold on until the end of the battle and had died on the spot. The remaining three could still be saved. They had already entered a state of suspended animation; all they needed now was time to recover.
As for the other two, who were even more unfortunate, they had been stomped underfoot by a descending Bloodthirster. They were pulverized, and now, all that could be done was to extract their gene-seed from the bloody mess inside their armor. They would find new aspirants to carry on their legacy.
At this moment, Curze clenched his fists. He, who was steeped in sin, felt a profound sense of sorrow. It irritated him.
But just then, the other Night Lords gathered around and performed the Aquila salute.
"We are the knights who walk in darkness. We are the knights who seek truth and justice. Our brothers, may you find rest here. The dead are gone forever, but we shall continue on your path to the distant shore, even if a bottomless abyss lies ahead."
The group of Night Lords offered their final prayers. The remains of the fallen would be collected and interred in the Night Lords' chapel. They would become the first honored members of the Law Academy. Their statues, their names, and their legends would be sung forever within the academy to inspire those who followed.
"..."
Curze watched the Night Lords, his eyes filled with a complex emotion. He then looked up at the high palace tower, the lines on his face softening considerably.
"The future of the Imperium... it may well change because of you. Also, did I forget something? Ah, well. It probably wasn't anything important."
Curze muttered to himself. He had a strange feeling, as if an era even more glorious than the one ten millennia ago was about to dawn.
---o---
Finally, the battle for Trailblaze was entering its closing stages. The mobilized citizens, under the command of the Word Bearers and Ultramarines, began to depart in an orderly fashion. They had to return to their posts and continue contributing their strength to the Lord of Trailblaze.
However…
"What are you doing? You're just letting these people go back?"
Watching the citizens leave, Inquisitor Greyfax couldn't help but want to stop them. According to the protocols of the Ordo Malleus, anyone who had witnessed a daemon would be taken into custody, and most would be purged. It was cruel, but often necessary. After all, corruption was everywhere. You could never know if any of them had been tainted.
Of course, Greyfax knew it was impossible to purge them all, but to let them go without even a preliminary screening…
Greyfax was utterly speechless. But then she looked at the Grey Knights and the Living Saint beside her. She had figured out what a Living Saint signified during this time, and the Grey Knights were on another level entirely. Normally, anyone who saw a Grey Knight would also need to be "cleansed."
But looking at these Grey Knights walking among other Astartes and what appeared to be Solar Auxilia, Greyfax could only swallow her objections.
Before her stood a Primarch. A Primarch who had faced Khorne directly. She knew she had no right to say anything.
"I just wonder how Terra is faring now. Hmph, given the efficiency of that bunch, without outside interference, it would probably take them decades just to react."
The thought made Greyfax's vision darken, but she didn't know what else to say. Looking at the Primarch here, and then thinking of the vermin on Imperial Terra, she was left without words.
---o---
On Holy Terra, the cradle of humanity. Once a blue planet, now a pockmarked, rocky world.
"..."
The debate over the Primarch had been raging for a long time, with different factions holding completely different views.
The Custodes remained silent on the matter, as they had previously received an oracle. A shield-host of theirs had been dispatched to find the lost Primarch, so for them, his status as a Primarch was beyond question.
Moreover, his combat record was simply too brilliant. He had banished two fallen Primarchs in succession. The Custodes had to give such glory a measure of respect, even if they remained wary of him.
However, the Imperium was clearly not prepared to face this Primarch.
At this moment, watching the High Lords babble on, the Custodian felt a wave of exasperation.
"So, where is this Primarch, exactly?"
Finally, someone asked the most important question. All the talk of distributing benefits and power could come later. The real question was, where was the Primarch?
As expected, with that question, the entire High Lords' council fell into a brief silence.
Then, they all looked towards the Custodian. The Custodian looked at Inquisitor Chris, who simply threw up his hands.
"I don't know!!!"
"You!!!"
Seeing Chris's reaction, a High Lord was about to start shouting, but at that very moment, the whole of Terra began to tremble.
Then…
VMMMMMM!!!
With a deep, resonant hum, something happened that struck fear into the hearts of everyone present, including the Custodian. The Astronomican… had gone out.
In an instant, an expression of pure terror swept across the faces of everyone in the room, the Custodian included.
Very well, no one was concerned about the Primarch anymore…
All eyes turned to the representative of the Adeptus Astronomica. His face first showed confusion, then his expression changed drastically, and he bolted from the room.
---o---
"What's humanity's reaction? Munch, munch. And this is quite delicious. This Primarch is rather generous. Hmm, good, no one else was hurt."
At this moment, Yvraine and her mentor were eating fruit in a luxurious drawing-room, gazing at the scenery outside. The sky was a brilliant blue, as if the great battle had never happened.
From the high terrace of the palace, she could see a bruised and battered Astartes leading a group of similarly black-and-blue mortals in constructing a monument. This Astartes was from the Imperial Fists. Zhou Ye had given an order for the Imperial Fists and the Iron Warriors to each send a representative to build a monument at the place where the psykers had sacrificed themselves.
It was to be named the Platform of Sacrifice, not only to commemorate the psykers who had given their lives for glory in this battle but also to honor all the war dead. It was to be a symbol of absolute honor.
So, Yvraine had watched, dumbfounded, as the Iron Warriors and Imperial Fists engaged in an all-out free-for-all where no punches were pulled. In the end, the last Imperial Fist standing became the chief designer. Now he was leading his "glorious design team" in the construction.
Yvraine didn't know what to say about the bizarre energy and vitality of the people under Zhou Ye's command.
Bizarre, but effective.
"There are actually two Primarchs here, and one of them is Konrad Curze, who has been missing for ten thousand years. So he didn't die after all. Is it really okay to bring him to Macragge?"
"He is not important. A Primarch who once betrayed the Imperium. He has no influence. His appeal to the Imperium is probably less than that of a new Chapter Master." Her mentor replied dismissively. Konrad Curze was dangerous, but his influence... did he even have any left in the Imperium?
Clearly, resurrecting Guilliman was still the priority. However, Yvraine now had a much deeper understanding of how bizarre the Imperium's Primarchs could be.
"They seem to be discussing something, and they're deliberately avoiding us." Yvraine muttered, though she wasn't particularly bothered by it. This Primarch was reasonably friendly, and his hospitality was impeccable.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock on the chamber door drew the attention of the two Eldar.
"Come in!!!"
Click.
As the door opened, a mortal who looked to be about 1.8 meters tall walked in. Beside him was the Archmagos Cawl. Seeing this pair, both Yvraine and her mentor, Yldar, were stunned.
"You're the Primarch..."
Having met him just before, Yvraine recognized him at a glance.
"I am not a Primarch, just an ordinary person," Zhou Ye explained calmly.
But the two bean sprouts immediately shot him a look that screamed, "Are you kidding me?"
Zhou Ye knew his explanation was pale and weak. He found a place to sit down. He had to admit, Yvraine had a good foundation, provided she let down that topknot and wiped off the strange makeup on her face.
"Ynnari, can you travel from here to Macragge? The Immaterium is currently shrouded in storms, and our means of navigation are no longer viable."
"Of course, we can. However, I suggest we wait for a while. The waves stirred up by the Chaos Gods still linger here. The Webway is not absolutely safe. From the War in Heaven until now, especially since the birth of She Who Thirsts, many parts of our Webway have been damaged or abandoned."
"I understand, my Eldar friends. For the time being, please stay here. Once the storms have subsided, you can depart with Cawl."
Zhou Ye smiled upon hearing this. He, of course, had no intention of going back with them. However, since the Eldar were here, he would have to be a bit more careful when using his Star Rails. But it wasn't a major issue. The support ships had already departed, and the troops were withdrawn from the other side of the planet.
As for his losses this time... there really weren't any. The entire brawl had taken place on the huge plaza in front of his palace. The damage was almost nil, except for the Emperor's Children's vegetable garden getting trampled. That group was currently busy replanting it. Besides, thanks to the effects of the holy white light, the Chaos corruption had been completely scoured away.
"No problem. We won't be going anywhere for the time being."
The two Eldar nodded. After all, this was the mysterious Primarch's home base. It was certainly full of secrets, especially considering his method of handling the mortal witnesses. Even they were taken aback. Was he truly not afraid of corruption? But considering his performance from the beginning of the war until now, they felt it was impossible that he didn't know the risks. So, he definitely had some little secrets, and the two bean sprouts had no intention of stirring up trouble.
"You two can chat. I'll be leaving now."
After a glance at the two of them, Zhou Ye left the room. As he walked, however, he was pondering something.
"Should I pick a name for myself? As for my real name, forget it..."
After all, he couldn't just keep being called "that Lord" forever. It was too strange. But he had no intention of using his true name. While Zhou Ye felt that it wouldn't be a huge problem if his real name was known, considering that big moth who was banished by a certain Grey Knight Grand Master, Zhou Ye felt it was better not to reveal his true name.
Incidentally, the real names of the twenty Primarchs were not what they were known by. Their true names were given to them by the Emperor at the moment of their birth. So, likely only the Emperor knew what they were. And it was the Emperor who had allowed the Grey Knights to use Mortarion's true name to banish him.
So, when it came to revealing his true name, Zhou Ye decided against it. Besides, he didn't think his real name was domineering enough.
So…
"Should I call myself Akivili, or the Clockmaker, or perhaps... Phanes..."
---o---