In the sky, Sanguinius's gaze swept over the faces below. Some looked up with excitement, some with confusion, others with pious adoration, but his eyes ultimately rested on Dante.
The power contained within that gaze was not oppressive, but rather carried a profound understanding that smoothed the creases of the soul.
"My child, Dante, and all of you, make me proud," Sanguinius said. His voice sounded like the music of the spheres, entering everyone's ears with clear precision and carrying a reassuring, penetrating quality.
"Your vigilance is a medal of your long duty. It is the embodiment of your loyalty to your Father and the Imperium. You have seen my shadow in the labyrinths of the Warp. That was the mark of my suffering as I struggled under the crushing weight of Chaos. It was the unhealed scar left by the Blade of Horus."
Sanguinius continued to speak, asking, "In those visions, my wings were stained with dust, my light was dim, and the power of bloodlust coursed through my entire being. You must have seen me like that, correct?"
Dante trembled as the words struck him. That was indeed what he had seen in the Warp while on the brink of death, a pale soul torn apart by the Black Rage and a thirst for blood, tormented and miserable. It was not the radiant existence standing before him now, yet that soul was undoubtedly their father, who had even secretly aided them on multiple occasions.
'So, something truly happened to Father? Has he rid himself of the Black Rage and the curse of bloodlust?'
Dante reasoned that if their father had truly broken free of these two curses, then they, his sons, should rightfully be free of them as well.
Sanguinius descended to the ground.
His entire form radiated a powerful holy light as he nodded to his progeny.
Seeing Sanguinius's face, feeling their father's power, and basking in this sensation that felt like a spring breeze, all the members of the Chapter were utterly convinced. In their hearts, they knew this was their father.
"But what you see now is as you wished it to be," Sanguinius said, his voice rising suddenly, filled with divine power.
The golden wings behind him snapped open, showering the area in radiance like molten gold. It enveloped the entire muster platform. Every Son of Sanguinius bathed in that light felt an indescribable warmth and strength pouring into their limbs and bones. Even the restless shadows of the Red Thirst and the Black Rage within their bodies seemed to be temporarily driven away.
"It is a chance found by the Emperor's will in the endless void! A miracle gathered from sacrifice and faith! My essence has been tempered, reshaped, and sublimated within the torrents of the Warp! I am no longer the fallen demigod, but the one who carries humanity's hope and the Emperor's glory, stabilized within the hierarchy of the Warp. I am the true Angel God!"
This was the explanation Sanguinius had agreed upon after discussing it with his other self.
During his time walking in this universe, he would use this identity to lead the Blood Angels and aid the Imperium. This matter had already been approved by the Emperor.
While traveling here, Sanguinius had communicated with the Emperor.
The father of this world was far more powerful than the father of his own world. perhaps in ten thousand years, his own father might reach the same level, but for now, he was far inferior to this entity.
The words exploded like thunder in the hearts of all the Space Marines.
This surpassed their understanding of Primarchs, of Astartes, and even of Imperial theology.
However, that pure and vast holy power surging toward them with his words, along with the rhythmic pulsing of their blood, their very gene-seed rejoicing, ruthlessly shattered their final doubts.
This included Chapter Master Dante. However, they were now curious about one thing: what was their Father's current body? Was it formed of Warp energy, or was it true flesh?
If it was a true physical body, then there would be no issues with Sanguinius's identity. He would become the first Primarch to return after ten thousand years.
At this time, the people on Baal did not yet know that Guilliman had been resurrected.
But if his body was constituted of Warp energy, this Sanguinius might even be targeted by the Inquisition as a heretic.
In the eyes of the Imperial Inquisition, everything related to the Warp was an evil existence.
Even those Living Saints who spread the Emperor's will and claimed to be his messengers were no exception, though the Ecclesiarchy recognized Living Saints.
"Great Father, is your current vessel composed of Warp energy, or is it human flesh? If you lack a physical body, we have preserved your remains. You may return to your own body at any time," Dante said, stepping forward and bowing to Sanguinius.
"This body is not formed of Warp energy. It is true flesh," Sanguinius said, gently clenching his fist. Golden holy power flashed around him.
"It is the perfect vessel to carry my newborn godhood, a gift that spans the boundary between life and death. It is a body remade for me by the great Emperor, our great father. I am connected by blood to you, for you originated from me."
Sanguinius arrived in front of Dante. The holy light was not blinding, but instead carried a warmth that made one want to draw closer.
Dante looked into the golden eyes inches from his own. The wisdom, benevolence, and a kind of higher-dimensional majesty he had never felt from any other being finally caused the high wall named "Impossibility" in his heart to collapse.
All doubts and all struggles vanished like smoke before the ultimate call of his bloodline and the irrefutable miracle before his eyes.
Clang!
The heavy knees of the Terminator armor slammed hard against the solid marble floor of the Arx Angelicum.
Dante, Chapter Master of the Blood Angels and the oldest hero of the Imperium, lowered his noble head. His voice was choked with emotion. "Fa... Father! Forgive my dullness... Welcome... Welcome back!"
This belated call was filled with ten thousand years of longing, grief, and the ecstasy erupting at this very moment for the great Father.
Like a chain reaction, continuous metallic crashes resonated through the clouds.
None of the Chapter Masters, Chief Librarians, Chaplains, Sanguinary Guard, or ordinary Blood Angels and their successor warriors remained standing.
Swept up by a golden tide, they knelt devoutly before their reborn Father.
The Knights of Blood, the Blood Swords, the Flesh Tearers... all the proud warriors of Sanguinius's bloodline turned into the most devout believers in this moment.
"Father!"
"The Great Sanguinius!"
"The Emperor Protects!"
Fanatical shouts converged into a torrent of faith that shot straight into the sky. Even the crimson heavens of Baal seemed to be illuminated by this golden will.
Sanguinius reached out and gently placed his hand on Dante's shoulder armor. The touch carried a warm power that instantly smoothed the last ripple in Dante's heart.
"Rise, my children. Your loyalty, your sacrifices, and your persistence through ten thousand years of darkness are the foundation that allowed my return. There is no need for apologies. Vigilance is the armor for survival in an age of despair."
Being cautious was a good thing. If they had admitted his identity immediately without question, Sanguinius would have been quite disappointed in the descendants of this world.
Everyone believed their father, the great sire, had returned. However, Mephiston alone bore a faint trace of sorrow on his face.
Mephiston, the Chief Librarian, gave him a nod that was extremely subtle yet incredibly firm, a gesture only the two of them understood.
Just a moment ago, right when he and Dante shared the suspicion that this entity was not their father, a voice had entered his mind.
Mephiston's psychic vision penetrated the surface.
He not only saw the essence of this holy existence before him, but at the moment of the descent, he also seemed to catch a weak but clear message from the depths of the Warp, from the soul of the Sanguinius who struggled in pain within this universe.
Believe him... Follow him... Protect my children...
This confirmation from the "Father" made Mephiston the only existence besides Sanguinius himself who knew part of the truth…
This solidified his resolve to assist him. The being was indeed his father.
Mephiston also knelt on the ground, pledging his loyalty to Sanguinius.
"I have returned! Not as a departed spirit, but as your living father, as the eternal battle standard of the Blood Angels, and as humanity's sword and light in the darkness!"
Sanguinius's voice resounded through heaven and earth. It was clearly transmitted to every Imperial warship in orbit and to every trench on Baal where bloody battles were being fought.
"I will fight alongside you! With this new power, we shall take the alien Tyranid swarm that dares to profane our home and—"
He raised the giant sword that had materialized in his hand, burning with golden holy flame. Pointing the blade toward the sky, he unleashed a war cry that shook the entire planet.
"—thoroughly purify the Tyranid race! For Baal! For the Emperor!"
"For Sanguinius!"
"For the Emperor!"
"By the Blood of Sanguinius!"
The news of Sanguinius's return swept across all of Baal like a storm. Ordinary mortal troops, whose morale had been low and whose fighting spirit was scattering, were instantly galvanized as if injected with a stimulant.
A demigod from myth, the Great Angel, had returned to his motherland, to his Legion.
Sanguinius would lead them to defeat the insufferably arrogant Tyranids and completely end the devouring march of these insects.
In the great hall of the Arx Angelicum, Sanguinius was welcomed to the main seat. He sat in the position that once belonged to the Primarch, the Legion Master.
All the Chapter Masters knelt on either side, while Mephiston and Dante stood to Sanguinius's left and right.
"My children, brief me on the situation," Sanguinius ordered.
There was much to do. Aside from handling military affairs and arranging the war, he needed to select individuals to gift with the power of Holy Light.
And the person Sanguinius valued most of all was Mephiston, the Chief Librarian.
...
..
.
ps!!