Chapter 274: Chaos at the Celebration
Escorted by the Adeptus Custodes, the group boarded the prepared ceremonial parade vehicles.
Guilliman, his perfect features arranged in a smile, waved to the crowds. Ferrus, at his side, also acknowledged the citizens. The massive vehicle they rode upon ensured that everyone could witness the great Primarchs as it moved slowly towards the Grand Cathedral of the Ecclesiarchy.
Countless fanatical citizens of the Imperium were gathered on both sides of the grand avenue. At the very front of the crowd stood the great nobles of Terra. These aristocrats, who on any other day would be the ones looked up to, now fixed their gazes upon the two Primarchs. They knew exactly what the return of the Primarchs meant. If they could make a good impression at this moment, they might be able to secure more benefits for their families in the inevitable reforms to come. Even if they couldn't, they hoped to at least ensure their families would not suffer too great a loss. Not everyone had the audacity to oppose a Primarch, unlike some of the High Lords.
When Guilliman and Ferrus appeared before the crowd, a thunderous, tsunami-like cheer erupted from both sides. Priests chanted hymns to the God-Emperor, proclaiming the return of his sons to the faithful. The Imperial officials accompanying them walked humbly to the side, introducing Guilliman and Ferrus to the great nobles responsible for Terra's most important affairs. Guilliman mentally noted the names of those he thought he might need in the future.
Figures who had lived only in legend had now appeared before the people in the flesh. The common folk did not know who Lucan was, standing beside the Primarchs, and cast curious glances his way. The various great nobles, however, had learned some things about him through their own channels. The fact that he could walk with the Primarchs and participate in this victory celebration was proof of his importance. They, too, sent curious and friendly looks in his direction.
Lucan returned each of their smiles with one of his own. Some of these nobles would surely be swept away in Guilliman's coming purge, but many more would compromise and survive. They might be greedy, but the Imperium, for the time being, could not do without them. Rather than making unnecessary enemies, Lucan preferred to avoid anyone secretly trying to trip him up later.
As he watched Guilliman and Ferrus accept the adulation of the masses, Lucan surveyed his surroundings. As the heart of the Imperial Creed, it was undeniably solemn and magnificent. But none of it held any interest for him. The more magnificent it was, the more decadent it felt. All of this was built with the blood and sweat paid as tithes by countless worlds.
Guilliman's eyes also continuously scanned the fanatical believers. He felt a hint of madness in their devotion. Faith was a terrifying thing.
Just as they were about to reach the Grand Cathedral, Lucan's psychic senses picked up an anomaly. There were many individuals with psychic auras nearby, most of them official Inquisitors and psykers of the Imperium. But at this moment, several malicious psychic signatures stood out. And it wasn't just in one place. From within the dense, fanatical crowd, more and more intense psychic fluctuations began to emanate.
"Guilliman! There are Chaos cultists mixed in with the crowd!" Lucan immediately relayed the locations he sensed to the Primarch. Trajann Valoris also overheard their conversation. The faces of the men, fresh from the war for Cadia, instantly hardened.
The Custodes and Ultramarines immediately sprang into action, but before they could evacuate the crowd and reach the locations, a huge explosion erupted from within the throng, completely drowning out the cheers. The cheers were replaced by screams.
The explosive was not particularly powerful. The cultists had strapped bombs to themselves and launched suicide attacks. But it still caused massive casualties within a hundred-meter radius. Some cultists had turned their own bodies into bombs, their toxic and corrupted flesh splattering in all directions. Anyone hit was either killed or grievously wounded. Blood flowed across the white marble avenue. In an instant, the area was littered with severed limbs. The panicked crowd, trying to flee, caused a stampede.
The sudden chaos caught everyone off guard. The PDF did their best to maintain order, while the Inquisitors and their acolytes even began to use their psychic powers to forcibly control the will of the panicked crowd.
Besides the explosions, some people disguised as believers pulled out crude weapons and began to hack and shoot at the innocent pilgrims. Some even charged directly at Guilliman and Ferrus, screaming prayers to the Dark Gods. However, before the Astartes or Custodes could act, these attackers were shot into heaps of mangled flesh by the PDF. The dense volley of fire even hit innocent bystanders; more common people were killed by the friendly fire than by the cultists.
The casualties caused by the cultists' attack were not significant, and the entire assault was so uncoordinated it felt like a farce. No one truly believed that such an attack could pose a threat to a Primarch. But the cultists' intent was clearly not assassination.
This was a demonstration. A slap in the face to everyone present. It was a pure act of spite directed at Lucan and Guilliman. The Chaos Gods were telling them and the Primarchs not to think that winning the war for Cadia was a true victory. Even at the very heart of humanity, on Holy Terra, during an event like this, the power of the warp could still infiltrate. This was the true terror of Chaos, far more frightening than its military might.
Guilliman, who had been trying his best to maintain his composure, now wore a terrifyingly grim expression. Trajann Valoris approached him and spoke in a low voice. Just a moment ago, large-scale riots had broken out in hive cities all across Terra. Extremely well-hidden Chaos cults had revealed themselves and launched insurrections. Even many officials within the Imperial Administratum had shown their true colors. They deliberately issued incorrect orders, preventing the riots from being suppressed in a timely manner.
Within the vast archives of the Imperium, believers seduced by Tzeentch had long been secretly planting corrupted data. The destruction of some planets, or their failure to receive needed support, was also the work of these hidden cultists. A single misplaced decimal point, a single altered number, could mean disaster for a world beyond Terra.
Upon receiving this news, Guilliman turned to Lucan. "Lord Lucan... I need you to get that administrative system you spoke of online as soon as possible!"
"I have already put Karax, Pavian, and Cawl on it! They should have made some progress by now!" The three of them had not attended the celebration, instead remaining on the warship to develop the "Internet."
But that was not all. Rumors were beginning to spread like wildfire. One of them claimed that Ferrus was a fake. This was clearly the work of Slaanesh, who had observed his battle with Fulgrim.
The celebration, which was meant to boost the Imperium's morale, had now turned into this ugly affair.
Guilliman was normally a rational and brilliant commander, but he was also the type to be completely reckless when angered. There was a reason his Honour Guard was nicknamed the "Stretcher-bearer Squad"; an enraged Guilliman truly loved to charge into melee.
"Get aid to the wounded, now!" he roared. "High Lords! Is this the celebration you spoke of? Is this your attempt to intimidate me? Is this the Imperium you claim to manage for the Emperor? How did those cultists get past your security? And what of the riots in the hives? Is this still Terra? All of you bear an inescapable responsibility! I hope you have prepared your explanations."
The faces of the High Lords were also grim. This matter truly had nothing to do with them. They had done their best to ensure everything went perfectly, but they had not expected such a catastrophic failure. They themselves felt the urge to put every person involved on a pyre. Though they coveted power, they were not so depraved as to collude with Chaos. There were many cult activities on Terra, one could even say they were rampant, but they were usually confined to the underhives and the lowest levels.
"Primarch, this has absolutely nothing to do with us!" Irtu pleaded. "My loyalty to the God-Emperor and the Imperium would never allow me to do such a thing! We will launch an investigation and give you a satisfactory answer. We will not spare anyone who has consorted with Chaos!"
But Guilliman had no intention of listening to their explanations. While he was furious at the actions of the Chaos Gods... they had just handed him a knife. A knife to use against the High Lords.
But a rumor is sometimes just a rumor. When it falls into the right hands, however, it can become a weapon. The High Lords had also taken note of the rumor concerning Ferrus...
"It seems the saying that Terra has the most cults in the Imperium isn't just a rumor," Lucan remarked with a sigh. "This place is a veritable den of daemons."
The celebration could no longer continue. After assigning tasks, Guilliman turned back to the still-vigilant Trajann.
"Trajann, take us to the Palace."
"Yes, my lord."
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