🚨 Note : Consider to Support this Story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access +200 advance Chapters and To Support The Daily Update
Within three Terran standard hours of the Steadfast Light safely landing, the Iron Warriors finally eliminated the last invaders on the outskirts of Carenna.
Kill reports from various major camps and companies continuously poured into Perturabo's thought-cables. The numbers, symbolizing blood and death, surged rapidly in the Primarch's mind, eventually reaching six digits.
Most uncharacteristically, the Lord of Iron fell into a state of anxiety and unease. He turned his head to look at his blood brother.
"I think this time, we will indeed need your wondrous magics, Magnus."
"Other than psychic power, I cannot think of any way to simultaneously control hundreds of thousands of mortals and make them so blindly, bloodthirsty, and insane."
Magnus nodded; he had the same thought.
"There might be a psychic entity lurking in this world that we are yet unaware of. It is powerful, hidden, and filled with blatant hostility... Perturabo, my most reliable brother, I have no intention of hiding anything from you: to control mortals on such a scale, even my most excellent sons cannot do it. Ahriman and Amon might be able to influence the thoughts of thousands of mortals, or even claim tens of thousands of lives, but they likewise cannot make these people unconditionally sacrifice themselves for them, even hundreds is a stretch."
Perturabo listened calmly, then he slowly spoke, with undeniable authority.
"I remember our brother Roboute's Thirteenth Legion once encountered a similar situation: they fought against the Psychic Species of Osiris. Those terrifying Xenos could control entire star systems and billions of mortals, making them launch continuous assaults even against Astartes Legion formations, until the last man. This madness even defeated the Thirteenth Legion at one point."
"And my Fourth Legion, long before my return, they, under our Father's command, recaptured Venus in the Sol System, annihilating the Stone Ghoul Legions entrenched there. I've read the Legion's records; among the enemies they eliminated were Psykers known as War Witches. They controlled an entire planet, and our Father personally intervened to completely eradicate them."
"If your deduction is true, Magnus, then even if that monster is not as powerful as the Psychic Species of Osiris or the War Witches, sending our sons to search would be pure suicide."
The Lord of Iron's voice caused the two Primarchs to fall silent in unison. Although they were both supreme beings capable of shaping and destroying nations with their own power, living demigods walking the mortal realm, when facing opponents of such a level, clouds of worry and hesitation still began to shroud their thoughts.
The Iron Warriors had already lost no less than fifty warriors in the recent battle, and the Thousand Sons Legion had already lost contact with more than one squad. Neither Primarch wanted to lose more troops for this disaster relief operation.
The Emperor's sons stared at the busy repair work in the distance, each devising countless plans, but always abandoning them due to various flaws. Finally, it was the most cautious one that gained their favor.
"We stay here?"
"Yes, almost all living beings on Planet Dawn are now within five hundred kilometers of Carenna. As long as we hold this perimeter, either it will actively collide with our defenses, or we will delay until it turns to ash along with this world—there is no second Red Dragon available to it now."
Perturabo's words were filled with a certain anger, a blazing fury caused by the meaningless sacrifice of his sons. The Lord of Iron was still a romantic who occasionally grieved for his offspring.
Magnus nodded, but he quickly fell into thought again. The Primarch of the Fifteenth Legion looked at the buildings ablaze from the invasion, as if something had occurred to him.
"Perturabo, my brother."
"Do you still remember those Sons of C'tan?"
"Are you worried they have lingering remnants ambushed in Carenna, ready to rise again?"
"No, I mean, don't you find this cult very strange? They always manage to evade our most stringent reconnaissance, continuously emerging, regardless of background, wealth, or even age. Any mortal could be a believer. And the Red Dragon Legion, their rebellion is definitely inseparable from this cult."
"...What are you trying to say?"
Although he had long been suspicious, Perturabo decided to first listen to his brother's thoughts.
"I mean, Perturabo, even the most rigorously organized group would find such operational capability almost impossible, let alone a mad cult... Unless..."
Perturabo took over his brother's words.
"Unless they truly worship... some, god?"
"Sons of C'tan... C'tan..."
"Referring to the mortal worldview, if a terrifying psychic entity truly exists in this world, it would be completely seen as a god. Imperial Truth is insignificant before the power of these barbaric beings."
Magnus's radical remarks made his brother frown. The Lord of Iron wanted to retort, but his gaze was immediately drawn by something else: Ahriman and Phosis were approaching together, their steps hurried, seemingly carrying important intelligence.
"A Mechanicus Priest we rescued from the inland city just woke up, my lord!"
Ahriman's voice carried an uncontrollable excitement.
"His neural data records crucial information: in his observations and calculations over the past few months, he has successfully deduced the origin of the large-scale geological movements on Planet Dawn. Here are the coordinates..."
Perturabo practically snatched it. He only glanced at it and confirmed the location: the Orcus Mountains!
The Lord of Iron subtly glanced around. Morwen stood beside him, and next to her stood Phosis, Magnus's Librarius.
The Primarch of the Thousand Sons insisted on keeping this meritorious mortal by his side because her abilities were truly impressive. In Magnus's deeper consciousness, he trusted this mortal in some aspects even more than many of his own sons.
The Orcus Mountains...
Perturabo remembered this place, of course he did. Less than six hours ago, in the fortress of Salimawis, when he was making things difficult for that outstanding silver-haired female officer, he had used this very location.
Thinking this, Perturabo's brow furrowed.
Because, as he had posed the question to Morwen earlier, it was currently the storm season in the Orcus Mountains. The fierce winds there could even affect half the world, blowing all the way to Carenna, influencing thousands of kilometers of weather and electromagnetic fields.
The Lord of Iron hesitated for a second, just one second, his gaze displaying an unyielding stubbornness.
Then, he looked at his brother, Magnus.
"I will lead my forces there to attempt to resolve this trouble. You remain in Carenna."
Magnus did not immediately answer him. The Primarch stared intently at the Steadfast Light in the distance. After a long moment, he seemed to have understood something.
"You can go there, Perturabo, but I cannot remain here. I must also go to Zarukhin, to the place where my Atarva squad went missing."
Ahriman suddenly felt his breathing become difficult, as the atmosphere visibly worsened.
Naturally, such a foolish act of sacrificing the greater for the lesser instantly ignited Perturabo's fury.
"Now is not the time to worry about a few individuals. We are responsible for these hundreds of thousands of lives in Carenna!"
"I know! I am being responsible right now!"
"You are being selfish, Magnus! You are abandoning the defense here for the sake of one squad, that is the reality!"
The furious roars of the two Primarchs clashed in the ruins. Both the towering Magnus and the slightly shorter Perturabo were awe-inspiring giants. When they clashed with excitement and anger, even mere verbal sparring was enough to make Ahriman and the others tremble in place.
Despite trembling from the demigods' dispute, the Thousand Sons' Captain still moved to the side, shielding Morwen, who was also standing there watching.
But that couldn't block the coughing voice that came from behind him.
[Cough... Because of something in Zarukhin, my lord?]
The voice was soft and weak, yet it drew the gazes of the two Primarchs, like two searchlights operating at full power.
Ahriman's Adam's apple bobbed up and down; for a moment, he didn't know what to do. Fortunately, this question had helped Magnus regain his wisdom.
"Yes, Perturabo, my brother, I've just realized it."
"Since a true C'tan exists, it will surely be waiting for us in Zarukhin."
"How can you tell?"
"Aside from a C'tan, what else in this world could make an Astartes squad completely vanish without a trace? In the past few days, I have lost at least fifteen men. Some died in flying accidents, some at the hands of rebels, but even if an entire squad was wiped out, they would have been able to transmit a communication before death, unlike my Atarva squad, who are completely silent."
"..."
"This is an invitation, Perturabo. I can feel that entity waiting for me in Zarukhin. The Atarva squad sent no information, but their utter silence is a signal."
"What do you base that deduction on, Magnus?"
"Intuition. A psyker's intuition."
Ahriman only felt the atmosphere instantly become heavy again.
Perturabo's face was ashen. He stared fixedly at his brother for a long while, then suddenly lowered his head and sighed.
"Even if I disagree, you will still go, won't you, Magnus?"
"The correct answer is always born from obstruction and defiance."
Watching Magnus triumphantly raise his head, the Lord of Iron took a while to suppress his urge to grab his hammer.
He knew Magnus's temper too well. As one of the relatively well-connected pairs among the Emperor's sons, this was not the first time he had fought alongside this Prosperine. He deeply understood the character of this fellow who would rescue books during surrenders, assaults, encirclements, or even devastating battles.
Magnus was nothing like Perturabo. This Prosperine would never learn the composure, reliability, seriousness, and receptiveness to advice of an Olympian.
And Perturabo was precisely such a person.
"Alright, I hope everything truly unfolds as you deduce. But Magnus, I also have my conditions: you must leave sufficient forces to guard Carenna. Mortals have only one life; they cannot withstand our risks."
"Of course, Perturabo. Believe me, I will leave Ahriman in command and order the entire Black Raven Chapter to garrison here, as well as the Heaven Owl Chapter."
"Then who will you take?"
"Phosis, and Morwen. That will be enough."