"Take your empire and your Soldiers, and get out!"
His voice shook the entire battlefield; even distant survivors could hear the fury and sorrow of the "Monarch of Sand."
Horus stood up, saying nothing more. His gaze held guilt and unwillingness, but he knew he had utterly lost... He led the remaining Luna Wolves and a bound Abaddon away from Istanbul, returning to the fleet... The Emperor watched the ruins of Magana from his warship, his face devoid of expression. He said to Horus:
"You failed, my son. But Sarradin will return, for he is my most merciful son, and he will understand that mercy is a luxury for the weak, while strength is the foundation of change."
After the battle, Magana's survivors struggled in the ruins. Crustal movements and tsunamis triggered by the orbital bombardment had almost swallowed every corner of the planet. Deserts spread, seawater surged, and once-prosperous cities collapsed into ruins during the earthquakes, with billions of lives facing extinction.
Sarradin stood in the center of the shattered Istanbul, surrounded by a desolate landscape. His Janissaries, though equally exhausted, were still doing everything in their power to rescue survivors. There was no hint of retreat in their eyes, even when facing a world-ending catastrophe.
Sarradin watched it all, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness. He had awakened as a Primarch, gaining extraordinary strength, but before the planet, he still seemed small and helpless.
Just as Sarradin despaired, a golden crack opened in the sky, and brilliant light spilled onto the earth. The Emperor descended from the heavens, cloaked in flowing golden radiance, like a deity. The space around him trembled because of him, and the air was filled with an indescribable majesty.
Magana's survivors knelt to the ground, believing they had seen a true god. Sarradin, however, stood tall, with no fear in his eyes.
The Emperor gazed at Sarradin and spoke calmly:
"My son, your home is destroyed, yet you still refuse my aid. This is foolish pride."
Sarradin gripped his "Damascus steel" scimitar, his tone tinged with anger:
"You are the Emperor, the Father I speak of, yet you stood by coldly until now. Why have you come here now? To make me kneel, or to conquer me completely?"
The Emperor did not get angry; he merely shook his head. He said slowly:
"I am here to give you a choice. Magana's disaster is beyond mortal capabilities; even you, awakened as a Primarch, cannot stop it. You need my power; only I can save this place."
Sarradin said nothing, but his eyes were filled with hesitation. At this point, the Emperor continued:
"If you return to my side, becoming my most loyal son, I will use my power to save your planet. This is not punishment, nor charity, but my condition to you."
Sarradin's brows furrowed, his heart filled with struggle. He knew the Emperor's words were true; Magana was on the brink of destruction, and no mortal could save it. Even with his Primarch's power, he could not change the outcome.
He turned to look at the Soldiers and civilians behind him. Their faces were etched with expectation and fear; everyone placed their hope in him.
He knew that if he refused, Magana would turn to dust, and billions of lives would vanish with the planet's destruction.
Sarradin took a deep breath, slowly knelt, and plunged the scimitar named "Sacrifice" into the sand. He looked up, meeting the Emperor's gaze:
"I am willing. As long as you save Magana, I will join your ranks."
The Emperor nodded with satisfaction. He slowly raised his hands, and brilliant golden light erupted from within him, enveloping the entire planet Magana.
The power of the Warp was completely controlled by the Emperor; he used his psychic abilities to repair the fractured crust and reconnect the torn continents.
The boiling seawater receded, the cracks in the straits were filled, and the desert stopped spreading. The storms in the sky dissipated, and the aftershocks of the earthquake gradually subsided.
The surviving people of Magana witnessed all this, kneeling in awe. They shouted the Emperor's name, seeing him as a true god. Sarradin watched it all, complex emotions intertwined in his heart.
The Emperor turned to Sarradin and said in a deep, majestic voice:
"From today, you are my son, the Primarch of the Second Legion, the savior of Magana. You will serve me and fight for humanity."
Sarradin stood up and bowed, saying:
"I will obey your command, Father."
Although Magana was saved, this catastrophe changed everything. Sarradin's subjects had complex feelings towards the empire; they were grateful for the Emperor's power but could not forget the devastation brought by the orbital bombardment.
Sarradin boarded the Emperor's warship. He took the last of the Janissaries with him and had them undergo gene-surgery, taking over the Second Legion and renaming the Legion to "Janissaries."
Sarradin's achievements after his return were quite significant, even comparable to Horus's records. Most of the worlds he conquered were brought into compliance peacefully.
Even some "xenos," at Sarradin's request, were categorized as abhumans, including "Cat People" and "Ogryn Apes."
Sarradin also rescued some humans with Warp-affinity, brought them into the fold, and established Navigator families to assist the empire's Warp travel.
This earned great praise from the Emperor and the chancellor Malcador, which also led Horus to follow suit later, trying to conquer peacefully whenever possible. The first planet he "peacefully" conquered was a world called "Davon."
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