The soul of this world's Sanguinius fell silent.
Neither the method to control the power of bloodlust nor the way to obtain such immense combat power were things he could possess.
The fundamental reason was simple: he had no physical body.
He had died ten thousand years ago in a duel with Horus. He currently existed only as a soul within the Warp, a state maintained solely because the people of Baal and its surrounding systems still worshipped the Great Angel Sanguinius.
But dead was dead. Resurrection was impossible. No matter how helpless he felt, there was no way to change his fate.
"I am sorry. Your sons are my sons as well; I want to help them, and I want to see them free from the Red Thirst and the Black Rage," Sanguinius sighed.
"I understand. I thank you, my other self, for telling me this, and for everything you have done for me and for Baal. Now, I have a request to ask of you." The gaze of this universe's Sanguinius suddenly grew firm as he looked earnestly at his counterpart from the parallel world.
"Speak. I will help with whatever I can, but I must inform you beforehand: we will remain in this world for some time, but I do not know when Axis will depart. Therefore, I cannot take over your Legion, nor can I stay here to protect your mother. I hope you can understand this," the living Sanguinius replied.
He had truly feared that the version of himself from this universe would beg him to stay, to remain on Baal and protect this disaster-prone Imperium and these long-suffering Blood Angels. That was the one request he could not grant.
He was not a lifeform of this world; he was destined to return to his own universe. There, he had his own sons, his own planet, his own Ecclesiarchy, and his father and brothers across the entire Imperium waiting for him.
"I knew you would leave, my other self. But I have thought of a way to remove the Red Thirst and the Black Rage," the blood Sanguinius said.
Another method? Did he want him to use the power of the Holy Light?
The power of the Holy Light was a force Sanguinius had created by combining the principles of Axis's Ki with the power of faith and his own divine mastery. It suppressed the Red Thirst and had a significant effect on the Black Rage.
Although it treated the symptoms rather than the root cause, if his counterpart desired it, he would not be stingy. He had already scattered the seeds of the Holy Light into all his sons. With time, they would awaken this power, though if evil thoughts arose, the Holy Light would abandon them.
"You have perfectly solved the problem of the Red Thirst, and you do not suffer from the Black Rage. Therefore, I ask you to replace my gene-seed with your own, effectively making my sons into yours. Since their genetic father is Sanguinius in either case, this would completely solve both problems. This is my request," the soul said.
It was the only solution he could think of for his lineage's defects. These two curses from the Warp could not be cured unless he resurrected and overcame all his flaws like his counterpart.
Sanguinius looked at his other self with some surprise; he had not expected this proposal. However, it was not impossible.
Due to Axis's Ki, their gene-seed could be called Perfect Gene-Seeds, superior even to what had originally been extracted from the Primarchs.
After a brief moment of thought, Sanguinius nodded and agreed to the plan.
"Very well. Since you have proposed it, I agree. After replacing them with my gene-seed, you will still maintain a connection with them, but you will no longer transmit your Warp-born defects to them."
"Thank you immensely, my other self. Your appearance is the greatest gift to me. I promise you, I will use all my power to guard the sons you leave behind here, and I guarantee they will use the Holy Light for good."
The two Archangels exchanged a few more words before Sanguinius bade farewell to the soul of his counterpart. Guided by the Warp, he located Axis's psychic projection and began to establish contact.
…
Meanwhile, half a month had passed on Macragge. News of the Primarch's resurrection had spread throughout Ultramar, the Five Hundred Worlds, the surrounding systems, and had even reached distant Holy Terra.
In recent days, many First Founding Chapters and other nearby Chapters had sent envoys to verify if the Primarch had truly returned to life. Representatives from the Space Wolves, White Scars, Salamanders, Raven Guard, and Imperial Fists arrived in succession.
Upon their arrival, these envoys witnessed something unexpected. Lord Guilliman appeared to be making major moves.
Firstly, Guilliman was recalling all Ultramarines Successor Chapters, or those suspected of carrying his gene-seed, to Macragge. Although it was not explicitly stated, everyone could see the Primarch was massing forces.
The number of Guilliman's sons likely exceeded 800,000. There were only around one million Space Marines in the Imperium, and seventy-five percent were of Guilliman's lineage. If all of them obeyed the Primarch's command, it would spell trouble for the High Lords of Terra, the current rulers of the Imperium.
Some Chapters gloated, while others grew wary of the newly awakened Primarch.
However, the next piece of news utterly shattered the worldviews of the envoys. The mighty Son of the Emperor, Imperial Primarch Roboute Guilliman, had decided to ally with the Eldar Ynnari, the followers of the God of Death, and intended to personally marry their emissary, Yvraine.
This news broke the minds of every envoy who had come to verify the resurrection. Some could barely maintain their composure. The Imperium, compromising with Xenos? Forming an alliance with aliens?
Even more shocking news followed. Out of nowhere, a New Age Primarch named Axis had appeared. Along with him came an Imperial Princess and a Grandson of the Emperor, a true blood heir?
And this blood descendant of the Emperor was set to marry a Living Saint, none other than the renowned Saint Celestine.
It was absurd. Each report they received was more ridiculous than the last.
Upon hearing this, the members of the Space Wolves immediately burst into laughter and gave the Lord Regent a thumbs-up.
Why? Because a certain Space Wolf had once taken a fancy to an Eldar woman, a Dark Eldar Archon, no less, and had even been heartbroken when this "mistress" failed to attend his duel in Commorragh.
The remaining Chapters felt only rage, and some confronted Guilliman directly.
"Heresy! This is naked heresy, Lord Guilliman! As a son of the God-Emperor, as His blood, how can you debase yourself by marrying a Xenos leader?"
An envoy from Holy Terra had barged into Guilliman's study, loudly shouting his rebuke at the Primarch. Before leaving Terra, the High Lords had instructed him that the Primarch was a relic of an old era, ten thousand years past. In this age, even an awakened Primarch had to obey the orders of the Senatorum Imperialis.
But before Guilliman could speak, a terrifying pressure descended upon the envoy, forcing him to his knees.
"What are you? Who gave you the right to speak here? Have you forgotten the most basic etiquette when facing a Primarch? On your knees," sneered Axis, who was a guest in Guilliman's chambers.
"You... you impostor! You are no Primarch of the Emperor. The High Lords will never recognize you," the Terran envoy said through gritted teeth.
"I never intended for them to recognize me," Axis replied dismissively.
He wouldn't spare the so-called High Lord Senate a single glance. Seeing this, Guilliman shook his head helplessly; he had known things would develop this way.
"Tell me, envoy, what news do you bring to Macragge? What message do you have for me?" Guilliman asked.
"Primarch Guilliman, the Senatorum Imperialis orders you to return to Holy Terra, swear allegiance to the High Lords, and continue to fight for the Imperium as a Primarch," the envoy declared.
Guilliman wore an expression that suggested he had expected exactly this.
"Do you not know that a Primarch owes allegiance only to the Emperor Himself?"
"The High Lords represent the Emperor. The High Lords convey the Emperor's will to the Imperium," the envoy retorted.
"I told you not to be too polite with these people," Axis scoffed. "And do not hold any hope for them. When people sit in positions of power for too long, they forget their own insignificance."
"Guilliman, do you intend to betray the Imperium?" the envoy asked accusingly.
"Betray the Imperium? Do not use such ugly words," Guilliman replied calmly. "I am simply leading the righteous back to Holy Terra to purge the parasites and restore the Imperium to order. And let me remind you of one thing: the Senatorum Imperialis has never represented my father's will. They are not his voice. They were not in the past, and they never will be."
The Senatorum Imperialis was originally established to speak for mortals. If it were otherwise, there would have been a seat for the Primarchs among the High Lords.