Actually, Zhou Ye had detected their presence even before Dante himself did, all thanks to Ahriman. While a ship's Gellar Field can block the sight of Warp entities, its effectiveness depends entirely on the entity in question.
And on the entity's power level. At the very least, when they were this close, Ahriman was still able to spot them. Zhou Ye then had Ai-yi take the Hyperion and several of his Emperor-class battleships to greet them.
Although Ahriman hadn't gotten a clear look, only Dante would be capable of pushing through the Great Devourer's Shadow in the Warp to reach them.
On a side note, even Zhou Ye had gathered a large number of Navigators and Astropaths from the Trailblaze Sector. He now controlled over a thousand planets and had the support of Ultramar.
Assembling a corps of Navigators and Astropaths wasn't a major issue for him. They were the kind of asset you might not always use, but couldn't afford to be without.
With his domain growing so large, Zhou Ye had equipped each of his ships with a contingent of them. While their status wasn't as high here as it was in the Imperium, for the Navigators and Astropaths themselves, their lives were incredibly comfortable.
Previously, both navigating and receiving astropathic messages carried high risks, as many Warp entities loved to use them as entry points.
A prime example was the Astropath in Space Marine 2 who was possessed by a Thousand Sons sorcerer, or the unlucky souls in Hammer and Bolter used by Nurgle to spread an ideological plague.
Now, under Zhou Ye, they were all in a state of semi-retirement. The tasks required of them were very limited, and the benefits were not bad. While perhaps not as prestigious as before, it was undeniably safe.
They no longer needed to maintain prolonged contact with the Warp. An individual Navigator or Astropath might oppose Zhou Ye, but the Navigator and Astropath Houses would never oppose him.
So, at this moment, Dante and all the Blood Angels had only one thought in their minds…
What in the warp is this? Is this still Baal's territory?
"Have we traveled to the future? I don't recall the Underworld System having a fleet like this. I'm seeing a Gloriana-class battleship, and Emperor-class battleships."
Looking at the fleet that had come to meet them, Dante was about to order preparations for a boarding action. The only thing that stopped him was that their cannons were not aimed at him in a battle formation, but rather in a formal reception array.
He turned to Mephiston. If this was some kind of time-warp, they were in big trouble. They might rush back to find everything had already gone to hell.
The Warp, though stabilized by the Great Devourer's shadow, was in a relatively calm state. It was difficult to navigate, but not to the extent that it would fling people to a time no one could recognize.
"We left Baal only nine Terran days ago…"
"..."
The situation was becoming increasingly strange. But just then, someone recognized the fleet.
"That emblem and color scheme… it belongs to that Lord. The Primarch of the Imperium. He's actually come to the Underworld System. That's his flagship."
Staring at the familiar fleet, and the bright yellow Battle Barge mixed within it, Seth finally recognized them after his initial shock. A look of guilt flashed across his face.
He had, after all, abandoned all shame and taken the entire supply of potion that Lord had prepared for the Lamenters. The Lamenters had been left with nothing. Although they were mostly new recruits and their condition wasn't severe, that portion was a gift from the Lord of Trailblaze out of his benevolence. What were they supposed to do after he took it all?
But at the time, Seth had felt he had no other choice. The Lamenters were under the Lord of Trailblaze's command; they would surely get more eventually. But now, being confronted by the man himself, he felt a pang of guilt.
"The Underworld System is saved! Everyone, with me, to see that Lord…"
As Dante said this, his ancient face couldn't help but twitch. He found the title a bit abstract. He shot a look at Seth, as if to ask, how can you not even know his name?
"Er…"
Seeing Dante's expression, the already guilty Seth shrank back even further.
"This is Malakim, Chapter Master of the Lamenters. Sons of the great Sanguinius, do you require an escort to an audience with the great Lord of Trailblaze, Phanes!!!"
At that moment, a voice boomed through the vox system. Zhou Ye had strictly forbidden his people from calling him a Primarch.
He wasn't some damn Primarch, so he wasn't going to borrow the title.
"It would be a great honor!!!"
Dante's face lit up with reverence. A Primarch. A being who existed only in myth, a being like their own gene-father, Sanguinius. To the current Imperium, even to Space Marines like them, they were gods.
The legends had been told for too long, and few from that era remained, even among the Dreadnoughts. The few who did, like Bjorn the Fell-Handed, were worshipped as holy relics. In fact, most Space Marines would do two things in their lifetime: one was to make a pilgrimage to Macragge to pay respects to Guilliman, and the other, if circumstances allowed, was to visit Fenris to see Bjorn.
Even now that Guilliman had awakened, a 1:1 scale replica statue—a friendly contribution from Zhou Ye—had been placed where he once sat. It was made from the most popular resin of ancient Terra, a technology with a history far older than the Imperium itself.
The only problem was its poor preservation quality, but that wasn't a major issue. The stasis field conduits were still there; they just had to place it inside.
Now, even more people were making pilgrimages to this holy site where a Primarch had awakened and two Greater Daemons had been banished.
Of course, this 1:1 scale Guilliman figurine was made on the spot by Zhou Ye; the ones in his "Wonder Workshop" were more like 1:12 scale.
But by all accounts, everyone who saw it said it was good. The Space Wolves, Imperial Fists, Iron Hands, and Dark Angels all said they wanted one too, but Zhou Ye had brushed them off with excuses like "lost technology" and "insufficient raw materials." Since they didn't dare slice open the statue he gave to Guilliman to see what it was made of, the matter was temporarily dropped.
Hearing the name, Dante's expression became solemn and serious. This great Primarch who could banish Fulgrim one-on-one must be just as the myths described: calm, wise, steady, and divinely martial, a man who could lead him, the entire Blood Angels, and all of Baal and its successor chapters.
Although they had not yet met, because of that potion, the entire Blood Angels lineage already held Zhou Ye in the highest possible regard. Looking into the distance at the Tyranid swarm held back beyond the ice belt and the ravaged star system, they knew it must have been this Lord who had come to their aid. Otherwise, the entire Underworld System would have been lost, though from the looks of it, it was already pretty close.
But as long as the Underworld System was in their hands, it served as a shield for Baal. Even if the Tyranids wanted to bypass it to invade Baal, they would face the窘境of having their rear flank exposed.
Moreover, Dante had a personal hope: if this Primarch was here, perhaps he could take over command of the Baal Sector and all the Sons of Sanguinius. Then, Dante could just focus on charging into battle. Perhaps he could even find his eternal peace.
"Link established!!!"
After a brief and friendly exchange, a flash of light appeared on the bridge. Malakim, clad in Centurion armor, teleported before them, accompanied by several other Lamenters in similar wargear. Seeing their armor, everyone froze for a moment.
At that moment, a single thought flashed through the minds of countless Blood Angels.
Holy shit.
Looking at the squad composed of seven Centurion suits, almost all the Sons of Sanguinius silently drooled a little.
They were so rich! That was enough to form an entire Devastator Squad. That Lord was truly wealthy. He had his own Chapters to supply, yet he could still spare so many for the Lamenters.
"Hah… My Lords, the Master is currently on Ashford. He has taken command of several key planets in the Baal Sector and is constructing fortresses to counter the next Tyranid offensive. Please, come with me to meet him."
"Of course."
No one thought anything of Zhou Ye not coming to greet them personally. After all, who were they to make a Primarch come to them?
Soon, guided by ground control, Dante and his retinue entered the atmosphere of Ashford. The moment they did, they all drew a sharp, cold breath.
The largest hive city on Ashford, a metropolis that could normally house at least ten billion people, had been almost completely destroyed. Ruins were everywhere. Although they saw no bodies, they could confirm that this had been an incredibly brutal war.
What made their eyes widen even further was what stood amidst the ruins of the hive city. Three Emperor Titans and six Warlord Titans stood sentinel.
"Three Emperor Titan battle groups!!!"
"Omnissiah be praised!!!"
This was the only thought in their minds. The Techmarines accompanying them were so excited they started spraying sacred oils. After clearing the Tyranids from the other planets, Zhou Ye had recalled the Emperor Titan battle groups to rest and refit on Ashford.
Soon, two of the battle groups would return to their Forge Arks to act as a mobile reserve.
But Baal had always been poor, and for various reasons, they had a very unpleasant relationship with the Mechanicus of Mars. So, while their supplies were never completely cut off, they were always given the bare minimum.
They could never afford, nor even imagine, having the support of three Emperor Titan battle groups.
As the Thunderhawk landed, the Chapter Masters and Company Captains of the Blood Angels and their successors followed Dante out.
"Venerable Aslot!!!"
The moment they landed, a collective gasp erupted from the group. A Dreadnought painted in black and gold was waiting for them. The special sensation from their gene-seed and the livery on its chassis told them the identity of this Ancient.
A ten-thousand-year-old Dreadnought of the Blood Angels, who had once followed their gene-primarch, Sanguinius. He was the most ancient being among them and the very reason for their journey here. He was the one they had to save at all costs.
Seeing him now, almost everyone was about to kneel in reverence.
"Enough. I am not worthy of your salutes. I failed to protect our gene-father that day."
Aslot stopped them, then looked deeply at Dante. The familiar mask made him feel a moment of daze, but he quickly composed himself.
The being before him wearing his gene-father's mask was also an incredibly ancient being, a legend who had lived for fifteen hundred years without being interred in a Dreadnought. Though he himself was from ten thousand years ago, as a Dreadnought, his conscious time only amounted to a few hundred years.
Even Sanguinius himself was only a few centuries old when he died.
"All Sons of Sanguinius, come with me. Lord Phanes has many matters to attend to; we must not disturb him for long."
"Yes!!!"
Dante took a deep breath. He and the Blood Angels' high command followed Aslot into what was once the governor's palace. It had now been requisitioned by Zhou Ye. The governor had been relocated, and the head of his purestrain Genestealer brother was now on display right in front of him.
As the descendant of two Genestealers, the governor had done his best by remaining untainted and killing his heavily infested parents. It was just a shame his purestrain brother had escaped.
But that wasn't a big problem. Zhou Ye had learned of the matter. As the leader of the Ashford Genestealer Cult, that creature had been personally dealt with by Zhou Ye, who had teleported directly in front of him for a swift decapitation.
"Custodes?"
Soon, Dante saw the two black and gold statues standing before Zhou Ye's door. He recognized their identity almost instantly.
The Imperial Custodian Guard. What were they doing out here? And they had even changed their livery to guard this Primarch. It was unimaginable.
Dante composed himself. Under the watchful eyes of the two guards, he surrendered his weapons and walked inside. He was already anticipating seeing a radiant, glorious figure.
He was already preparing to kneel on one knee in salute. But…
"Huh?"
The moment they walked in, everyone froze. The man before them was not glorious at all. Instead, he was wearily processing a mountain of paperwork.
A literal mountain of paperwork. Because Zhou Ye's integrated systems had not been set up here, he was forced to deal with infuriating vellum scrolls.
In that one instant, Dante suddenly felt a pang of sympathy born from shared suffering.
---o---