What was Axis's level of power compared to Guilliman's?
The gap in combat strength between the two was simply too massive.
Facing Axis, Guilliman couldn't even react. He was sent flying before he could even see the other man's moves clearly.
Landing heavily on the ground, Guilliman let out a muffled groan. He lifted his head with difficulty, looking at Axis with an expression of pure disbelief.
Was there some mistake? Why attack him so suddenly?
What kind of negotiation tactic was this?
Beating him half to death?
"Guilliman, I am going to use my fists to persuade you right now and restore your values to a normal state," Axis said as he hoisted Guilliman up, driving a straight punch directly into the Primarch's face.
Then came a left hook to Guilliman's jaw, a right hook slamming into his gut, and finally a swinging haymaker that laid Guilliman out on the floor once again.
"Do you think you are playing a game? Do you have any idea how much pain, how much damage your dad, that dried-up corpse on the Golden Throne, has endured over these ten thousand years?
"I bet you, Guilliman, if you sat on the Golden Throne, let alone ten thousand years, you wouldn't last a single day.
"Do you think you are the only one suffering?
"Look at your sons. Look at the people of the five hundred worlds of Ultramar. Everyone is looking to you as an example. Everyone expects you to stand up and lead the Imperium once more.
"If even you want to smash the pot just because it's cracked and give up, then why should I bother with this mess?
"Why shouldn't I just take my wife, my son, and my daughter-in-law back to our own world to live in luxury?
"And just watch your dark Imperium gradually rot away," Axis said, placing a foot on Guilliman's face.
"You! I will save this tragic Imperium. I have observed the people of Ultramar. They are different from ten thousand years ago. They have never known the orderly life, the beautiful life of that era, yet they remain steadfast," Guilliman spat out the bloody foam from his mouth, looking up at Axis. "But what does this have to do with me marrying an Eldar?"
Axis had a point, but Guilliman still felt that marrying the High Prophetess of the Eldar God of Death was utterly ridiculous.
"That is because we need the power of the Eldar. We need their help," Axis explained. "You should have seen the intelligence reports from the last few days. Abaddon has launched the 13th Black Crusade.
"Warp energy from the Eye of Terror has leaked out, tearing the entire galaxy apart. Now, at least half of the Imperium's territory has fallen into darkness.
"We cannot contact those sectors. And the best way to reach those dark places is to utilize the Eldar Webway."
"If it is just an alliance, why must I marry them?" Guilliman argued. "Do you not know how huge a blow this would be to our Imperium's reputation? If a marriage alliance is absolutely necessary, I can select a suitable noble from within the Imperium."
"Then do you think some random Imperial noble, who can only live for a few centuries, is worthy of a High Prophetess of the God of Death who lives for thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of years?" Axis asked rhetorically.
"What would the Eldar think? Would they give humanity access to the Webway? Would the Eldar think humanity has no sincerity in this alliance?"
Guilliman opened his mouth but couldn't seem to find an answer. He wanted to say they could pick someone else.
But realistically, that was obviously inappropriate. Axis's family could be ruled out first, as they weren't people of this universe.
Father had already told him that Axis and his group would leave eventually. Axis's son, Kratos, had only married the Imperium's Living Saint primarily because the Emperor wanted to establish a good relationship with Axis.
As for himself, after Axis left, he had to ask himself honestly: Did they truly did need the Eldar's help? Yes! But how could he convince the Imperium?
The five hundred worlds of Ultramar would be fine, and most Space Marines wouldn't complain since they were his genetic scions.
But what about the other Chapters, especially the stubborn ones? And what would they think on Holy Terra?
"You aren't worried about the upper echelons of this Imperium, are you?" Axis asked with a cold snort, watching the hesitant Guilliman.
"Correct. We cannot ignore the thoughts of the mortals in the high administration. If I really marry a Xenos, it's not as simple as it looks on the surface. There are too many issues involved," Guilliman said.
"The reason this rotting Imperium has become what it is today is precisely because of those nobles, because of those so-called upper echelons who have ruined the Imperium."
"Let me give you an example. A planet suffered a Greenskin Ork invasion and sent a distress signal to the Imperium."
"The result was not a relief force, but a tax collection fleet. They took away the few remaining munitions and supplies the planet had left," Axis said.
"That... perhaps it was for a greater victory. Sometimes small sacrifices are unavoidable," Guilliman said.
"Is that so? Then let me tell you, those tax collectors thought the same thing. The local soldiers thought the same thing!
"Even the Commissar stayed behind to face the Orks alone while they took all the weapons and ammo. And do you know what happened?
"When the tax ship arrived at the tithe storage world, where the goods were piled up like mountains.
"The shipment of weapons and ammo they just collected was piled there. Every day, massive amounts of weapons, ammo, and various tithe supplies were just being piled there.
"Meanwhile, the places from which they were collected desperately needed these things. The tax officials responsible for the tally only cared about cold numbers. They didn't give a damn about the lives of the lower classes. They abandoned them without a second thought."
Axis wasn't making this up. This was a dark reality that had truly happened in the 40K era, and it was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Hearing this, Guilliman's face turned extremely grim. He opened his mouth to speak but found himself speechless.
"This Imperium is sick, so it needs a strong dose of medicine."
"What you need to do now is clear the board. Sweep through the interior of the Imperium, completely overthrow all opposition, and seize absolute power. Kill those who don't listen. It is that simple.
"And as for your marriage, countless people will certainly jump out to oppose it. But you are the Son of the Emperor. You are the Imperial Regent. Raise your sword!!
"Kill them until rivers flow with blood. Kill until no one dares to oppose you. Kill until there is only one voice in the entire Imperium."
What was the point of talking to those clueless idiots? Axis thought. Guilliman was being a fool.
Just overthrow the current decision-making leadership directly. Look at the mess they made of the Imperium. Was he supposed to keep these freeloaders around to continue ruining the Imperium and humanity?
"That requires massive military power, and the five hundred worlds of Ultramar don't have enough troops. I only have a little over one thousand Space Marines under my direct command," Guilliman said.
"So hurry up and tear up that roll of toilet paper you wrote. Restore the Legion system and rebuild the Ultramarines.
"When you arrive at Holy Terra leading hundreds of thousands of Space Marines, all voices opposing you will vanish without a trace," Axis said.
"You mean for me to amend the Codex? But I wrote it. It has benefits for the Imperium," Guilliman argued.
The reason he wrote the Codex Astartes was to prevent anyone from holding too much power, to stop the birth of another great warlord.
"Your Codex has problems. Chapters of one thousand men are no longer suited for this era. The entire galaxy is engulfed in flames, so the Legions need to return.
"With a single command, your sons alone number in the hundreds of thousands. And if I'm not mistaken, Belisarius Cawl has already considered this. He has at least tens of thousands of Primaris Space Marines under his command," Axis said.
During his stay on Macragge, Axis had found time to meet with the Archmagos of the Mechanicus and learned about the Primaris Space Marines from him.
These warriors, larger, faster, and stronger than the original Space Marines, were more perfect weapons of war.
And to meet the needs of war, Belisarius Cawl had prepared tens of thousands of such troops for Guilliman.
It was a strong hand to play. Add to that the Ultramarine successor chapters Guilliman could summon with an order.
To put it bluntly, gathering an army of a million Space Marines to storm Holy Terra wouldn't be a problem.
"Moving troops on such a scale will alert the High Lords. They will summon other Space Marine Chapters, and a new civil war will break out in the Imperium," Guilliman said.
"Doesn't that make it even simpler? That's why you need the Eldar Webway system. Go directly to Holy Terra unnoticed, then chop down those so-called High Lords one by one.
"Trust me, don't waste too much time on those guys. Them being alive is just a waste of Holy Terra's air and the grain shipped there," Axis said.
Why waste so much breath? Just rush in and kill them all.
Guilliman looked at Axis, thinking for a moment, and suddenly felt the man made a lot of sense.
Having been awake for a few days, he had a preliminary understanding of the state of the Imperium ten thousand years later.
It was indeed rotten to the bone. Such an Imperium required drastic medicine to cure. Although Axis's method was extreme, it was the most effective one.
"Also, the Blood Angels will help you. My friend is about to arrive at their location. Although he is the Sanguinius from another world, his control over his sons won't be any less than your world's Sanguinius," Axis said.
To fight the Tyranids, Chapter Master Dante of the Blood Angels had summoned nearly thirty thousand Sons of Sanguinius. Once Sanguinius arrived there, he could rebuild the Blood Angels Legion immediately.
Furthermore, with the power of the Holy Light, those warriors locked in the Death Company would find redemption and join the Legion.
"You're right. I admit it. This Imperium does need saving, and these parasites do need to be cleared out.
"...And just as you said, the Codex Astartes is indeed a waste in this era," Guilliman admitted.
Although he hated to admit it, the things he wrote ten thousand years ago were truly useless in this era of constant war.
"That's the spirit! So pull yourself together. Macragge has gathered quite a few Ultramarine successor chapters. First, consolidate their forces, then have Cawl thaw out all his stockpiled Primaris Space Marines.
"You marry the Eldar High Prophetess first to establish the alliance, gain the Eldar's help, and then take them through the Webway to Holy Terra to give those High Lords a big surprise." Axis nodded with satisfaction and pulled Guilliman to his feet.
"I'm afraid I'll need to rest for two days. You beat me quite badly," Guilliman said with a bitter smile.
"Why go through all that trouble?" Axis scoffed. A golden Holy Light lit up in his palm and then poured into Guilliman's body.
Whether it was life energy or Holy Light energy, both were excellent for healing injuries. The beating seemed severe, but it was basically just superficial wounds and a few broken bones; no internal organs were damaged.
Under the shine of the Holy Light, Guilliman would be lively and vigorous in no time.
"It truly is miraculous. Can I master this power called Holy Light? Several Ultramarines have mastered this mysterious power in the last few days," Guilliman said, moving his body in amazement.
The recovery capability of this energy, called Holy Light, was better than any medical method he knew in the Imperium.
"Of course, that's no problem. But you, kid, you have too much ambition. You aren't a man possessing pure virtue and a heart of justice.
"So you can't comprehend the Holy Light energy on your own. But don't worry, once Sanguinius gets here, I'll have him plant a Holy Light seed in you. You'll be able to use the power then," Axis said.
"Then I very much look forward to meeting Sanguinius. I have missed that brother dearly," Guilliman said.
Even if it was Sanguinius from another world, it didn't matter.
…
Meanwhile, on the battlefield of Baal.
Blood Angels Chapter Master Dante had assembled a force of fully thirty thousand Space Marines.
Dozens of Chapter Masters were gathered within the fortress.
This was once Sanguinius's domain, the gathering place of the Blood Angels Legion.
Although they were all technically Chapter Masters, as the Master of the Founding Chapter, his status was higher than the others. This time, he had to find a way to unite all the Sons of Sanguinius.
Just as Dante was communicating with the gathered Chapter Masters, a burst of golden light suddenly descended.
All the Sons of Sanguinius felt a throb in their hearts, a rhythm originating from their very genes. Every descendant of Sanguinius felt the sensation of a blood connection pulsing through them.
...
..
.
ps?