"By the Savior, this battle will be a hard one."
Tarko slowly raised his head and looked into Rogal Dorn's eyes. "You need arms. More arms..."
"Indeed."
Rogal Dorn gave a slight nod, his expression unshakable. "Take me to the armory. I will fight to the very end, until the Savior returns to Holy Terra."
A few hours earlier, the Savior, his elder brother, had sent a psychic message saying that he would soon return to the Sol System with Guilliman.
Their other loyalist Primarch brothers were also on their way.
But before then, Dorn would have to personally lead the Imperial elites and stop Horus, the fallen Primarchs, and every last greater daemon of Chaos.
It was a battle that could not be lost.
If the dark rift broke through the Palace, Horus and the traitors would reach the Throne Room directly.
At that point, everything would be beyond saving.
Whether it was Rogal Dorn or the other Imperial elites joining this battle, all of them had already resolved to die on the battlefield if necessary.
"May the light of redemption watch over you all."
Tarko made another gesture of blessing.
Then he quickly led the Lord of the Bastion to the Redemption Arsenal.
This area was the Savior's private armory, and also the most elite weapons vault in the entire Imperium.
It stored many of the Savior's personal wargear, along with the newest armaments available.
No sooner had Rogal Dorn arrived at the Redemption Arsenal than more elite warriors began arriving one after another.
The New Imperium desperately needed to make use of every scrap of strength it had left.
These men were all Chapter Master-level warriors, veterans with immense combat skill, and they had been granted emergency authority to use the Savior's arsenal.
As solemn machine hymns echoed through the chamber, one thick blast door after another rose open, and the scent of sacred oils spread through the air.
Then golden light flooded out from within.
Holy. Blazing. Dazzling.
Rogal Dorn was the first to step into the Redemption Arsenal, his towering form vanishing into the golden curtain of light.
After him, the Imperial elites entered as well.
"O Savior..."
Standing beneath the brilliant golden radiance, Ansemor stared at the dazzling array of legendary weapons and armor inside the armory, his entire body trembling faintly.
As a former penitent warrior, he had actually been permitted entry into the Redemption Arsenal.
What an honor. What a mark of trust.
Many of the armaments here represented legends from the old Imperium, or carried unique powers of their own.
There was also a great quantity of new equipment that had once been used personally by the Savior himself.
Even just looking at them was enough to make their power obvious. Any one of them would greatly enhance its wielder's combat effectiveness.
And now they would be the ones to bear these weapons, to protect the Emperor, to fight for the Savior.
Even if death was all but certain, they would have no regrets.
"Lord Ansemor, please come this way for arming."
At that moment, a servo-automaton flew over, scanned him, and confirmed his identity.
It already possessed detailed records of his combat ability, training history, and weapon preferences. Based on all that, it had already selected the armor and weapons best suited for him in this battle.
That way, he could be armed as quickly as possible.
As Ansemor headed toward the fitting platform, more elite warriors were guided by servo-machines toward their own designated arming stations.
Meanwhile, bathed in sacred light, Rogal Dorn advanced deeper into the Redemption Arsenal.
A senior Mechanicus master was already waiting there. He gave a slight bow and extended a welcoming gesture.
"Authorization verified. You are hereby cleared to receive His Majesty the Savior's newest model of Redemption Armor. It is also, at present, one of the most powerful armaments in the Imperium."
With those words, the arming platform belonging to the Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium, came to life.
Crackle.
Golden arcs of electricity spread across the vast machinery as a super-heavy suit of power armor, nearly eight meters tall, slowly rose into view.
"So this is the wargear my elder brother authorized for me?"
The moment Dorn laid eyes on the armor, his heart began pounding.
The Redemption Armor was unbelievably massive, radiating pure power. Its outermost layer was covered in scale-like plates of True One alloy that gleamed with brilliant light.
From any angle, it looked solemn, majestic, and devastatingly powerful.
It was the kind of armor that any warrior would instantly fall in love with.
More than that, this suit radiated a sacred power much like the Emperor's own, as if one were standing before the Golden Throne itself.
"Perhaps Father blessed this armor, and that is why it bears such presence?"
Dorn was puzzled.
Standing beside this super-heavy suit, he almost felt as though he were facing the Emperor.
In truth, compared to the previous version, this suit had been made even more concentrated and refined. Its entire structure was built from layered True One alloy and Blackstone, with almost no other metals mixed in.
Even the Emperor's own bones had been reduced to molecular form and fused into every corner of the armor, all powered by a massive reserve of compressed holy psychic energy.
The result was even greater power output and even greater defensive capability.
It was completely outrageous.
Dorn did not waste time. Taking a deep breath, he stepped onto the arming platform, and as he advanced, mechanical arms removed the armor he was already wearing.
Then the new suit was fitted onto him, a super-heavy shell of sacredness and sheer mass. Hidden energy conduits lit up inside it, and more light spilled out through the seams.
The heavy helmet descended.
Its red-gold optical lenses ignited.
The entire power system roared to life.
Dorn immediately felt the terrifying strength of the Redemption Armor. The instant it powered on, it hit him with such force that it felt like being slammed from behind.
Excitement welled up in him.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Each step shook the entire platform.
Wearing the Redemption Armor, Dorn stepped down from the platform and reached for the True One shield the Savior had once gifted him.
But with his current eight-meter-tall frame, the shield now looked noticeably too small, and he found it awkward to use.
"By the Machine Goddess, you should use His Majesty's own weaponry instead," the Mechanicus master said.
After entering a long sequence of code, he had a mechanical arm deliver a similar but much larger and heavier True One shield.
Compared to that one, the shield the Savior had gifted him before now looked almost tiny.
"What a perfect shield."
Dorn lifted it and nodded in satisfaction.
After that, more weapons were mounted onto the Redemption Armor until he was armed from head to toe, practically down to the tips of his toes.
Dorn felt more reassured with every passing second.
That reassurance came from both his elder brother, the Savior, and this super-heavy suit of armor.
Even though his brother had not yet returned to the Sol System, he was still supporting him in battle.
More than that, Dorn could feel the Emperor, his father, beside him, fighting alongside him.
At that moment, filled with confidence, Dorn strode out to face Horus, the traitors, and the daemonic filth.
...
A short while earlier.
The dark rift had continued spreading toward Holy Terra.
Then, amidst violent spatial distortions, a Blackstone fortress was projected directly into the path of the rift.
At present, it was the only method the New Imperium had found to temporarily impede the dark rift.
Many Imperial elites were stationed inside it to protect the core engine that kept the Blackstone fortress running.
"Heh. Go, my brothers. Destroy the Blackstone machinery in this fortress..."
Horus stepped into the Blackstone fortress along the rift without much concern.
Compared to the earlier Iron defensive lines, this place was far easier to crack.
It seemed the Imperial defenders were finally at the end of their strength.
Soon, vortices of Chaos opened across the fortress, and the Dark Emperor, the fallen Primarchs, and the greater daemons launched their attack.
Their assault was ferocious.
They turned the great fortress into a meat grinder, with every sector consumed by bloody close-quarters fighting.
This battle was even harsher than the previous War in the Webway. Even the Custodians struggled to endure the punishing attacks of the fallen Primarchs and the daemons of Chaos.
The Imperial lines began to crumble, and one node after another containing Blackstone machinery was destroyed.
The fortress was on the verge of total collapse, and with it, the loss of its function entirely.
"Servants of the false Emperor, where is your gene-father? Where has that coward hidden himself? Does he not dare face me?"
Alpharius and Omegon spoke in unison as they smashed apart the defensive line formed by the Imperial Fists elites.
The might of the two of them fighting together was horrifying.
Afterward, the two fallen Primarchs used the xenos relic weapons Pale Spear and Serpent's Breath, an abominable plasma weapon, to engage the Custodians who came to intercept them.
They also summoned more greater daemons in succession to deal with the Custodians and the Imperial Fists.
"The Cursed One's attendants are nothing special!" A senior Great Unclean One swung its rotting warhammer and sent an Aquilon Shield Custodian flying with a single blow.
"In the name of the Changer of Ways, this is your fate. You are destined to fall into the endless abyss."
The two crow-like heads of Kairos Fateweaver mocked them without restraint, stirring up fear and helplessness in the hearts of the Imperial defenders.
The unnatural, iridescent flames he spat burned both flesh and soul.
The assaults of those Chaos abominations forced the Imperial line back and back again, until the Blackstone machinery engines behind them were already in plain sight.
They could not retreat another step.
"Hold! Hold the line!"
The Imperial Fists captain and his Terminators fought desperately, slowly beginning to feel despair creeping in.
But they knew they could not give ground any longer.
Behind them stood the Blackstone engines and Holy Terra itself.
"We are stone! We are the wall of the Imperium!" the Imperial Fists captain roared, bracing his shield.
The plague warhammer smashed into it again and again, driving him backward until blood spilled from his mouth.
Just as that captain was about to reach the end of his strength, a sacred and stirring hymn suddenly rang out.
It was a holy anthem of the New Imperium.
The sudden change stunned both the Imperial defenders and the Chaos forces in the area.
Then the Imperial soldiers reacted, and a surge of exhilaration swept through them.
"Our reinforcements have arrived!"
"For the Savior!"
Amid dazzling teleport beams, one fully armed Imperial elite after another stepped onto the battlefield.
They wore massive armor, wielded legendary weapons, and blazed with radiant light, effects turned all the way up.
These Imperial elites from the Redemption Arsenal used their devastating weapons to temporarily halt the collapse of the line.
And it was not just here.
Similar beams dropped across many other sectors as more Imperial elites emerged.
Holy Terra command had sent in its final batch of reinforcements.
Boom.
Then, without warning, a super-heavy unit blazing with brilliant golden light and terrifying presence slammed down into this near-fallen sector.
Its momentum surged outward.
The cursed aura surrounding it made the Chaos daemons recoil instinctively.
With that gorgeous, over-the-top, earth-shaking entrance, the entire region fell into brief silence.
It was like divine might descending from heaven.
"Grandfather... what is that...?"
The Chaos beings saw it and could not help holding their breath, even taking a few steps backward.
Then they saw the insignia on the super-heavy armor, and their tension only deepened. Even their voices turned hoarse.
"Has the Savior arrived?"
"I am Rogal Dorn, the Vigilant, the Imperium's final wall. Traitors and filth, face me!"
Dorn's voice thundered from inside the Redemption Armor, magnified by the suit's vocalizers until it sounded overwhelmingly majestic and awe-inspiring.
At that moment, every eye turned toward him.
Whether Custodian, Imperial Fist, or Chaos creature, all of them could feel the sheer power of the Lord of the Bastion.
"You are not the Savior!"
One of the nearby Bloodthirsters realized the being inside the armor was not the Savior himself and immediately regained its nerve.
"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"
Its eyes flared crimson as it leaped high into the air and brought its blood axe crashing down.
Clang!
The Bloodthirster's axe slammed into the breastplate of the Redemption Armor as though striking an impossibly hard wall.
The blade shattered on impact.
The force of the rebound numbed its whole body and left its ears ringing.
???
"Impossible!"
The Bloodthirster roared and hacked down again.
This time, the axe broke apart completely.
It stood there clutching the haft in disbelief.
The other Chaos beings, seeing that, were just as stunned.
What?
Dorn finally reacted and turned toward the Bloodthirster.
That dramatic, high-impact landing style designed by the Savior had been so intense that even he was still a little dizzy from it. Clearly, it exceeded his own physical tolerance.
At that moment, the Lord of the Bastion vaguely realized just how terrifying his elder brother's real physical condition truly was.
Then a blur of motion flashed.
Dorn threw a single massive punch and sent the Bloodthirster flying.
Even Dorn himself was stunned by how overwhelming that blow had been.
"Die, abomination!"
The moment Dorn realized the true power of the Redemption Armor, he charged straight into the daemon horde without the slightest hesitation.
Wham!
A greater daemon of Tzeentch was smashed away by the armor's massive hammer, and the sacred psychic force rippling from the blow inflicted such terrible damage that it ended up hanging limp across a ruin, its fate unknown.
Maybe it was pretending to be dead. Maybe it really was dead.
Either way, it was definitely terrified now.
Next, Dorn threw himself at a mountain-sized Great Unclean One, endured its pounding blows, flipped it over, and crushed its skull beneath his foot.
Then the smart-weapons mounted all across the Redemption Armor automatically locked onto countless targets and unleashed infernal weaponry in every direction, indiscriminately sweeping the battlefield.
It was less a battle than a harvest, a slaughter. Dorn charged through them like a man mowing grass, leaving the daemons shaken to the core.
"Traitors. My defeated foes. Now it's your turn."
Dorn turned toward the fallen Primarchs nearby.
"Damn you. You can't defeat both of us at once!" Alpharius and Omegon said in unison.
They lunged together and unleashed a furious barrage of attacks.
But Dorn merely raised the giant True One shield and blocked every single blow.
He did not even move his feet.
Then his counterattack sent both traitor Primarchs reeling, inflicting severe damage.
"So this is my elder brother's equipment and his way of fighting?!"
Inside the Redemption Armor, Dorn nearly teared up.
Never in his life had he felt such overwhelming safety, such pure exhilaration in battle.
He did not need strategy.
He did not need technique.
This was pure stat-check domination.
The Lord of the Bastion was filled with confidence.
With the mighty wargear his elder brother had given him, he had become stronger than ever before.
This time, he was going to fight ten at once.
Throwing back his head, Dorn roared to the heavens, his battle-lust rising higher than ever.
"Horus, come and die!"
(End of Chapter)
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