The Strike Barge, bearing the Inquisition's emblem, entered the Void Port under the command of the control tower.
Three fully armed Stormtroopers squads, accompanied by five Astartes in black power armor, stepped out from the Strike Barge's hatch onto the port.
The silver shoulder plates of the five Astartes bore the emblem of the Inquisition.
"Stormtroopers squad? Black power armor? Inquisition emblem, good heavens, this must be a Deathwatch Kill Team."
Tenjiro, who had just emerged from the Exemplar Saint Fist Battleship, recognized the identity of this black-armored force at a glance.
The Deathwatch was born after the Beast War and is an important partner of the Inquisition's Ordo Xenos.
At the time of the Human Empire's 32nd millennium, the Imperial Fists Warband, while carrying out a routine extermination mission, discovered that the alien species being exterminated—the Krorks—were fleeing something.
As the extermination mission neared its end, a mechanical satellite suddenly appeared above the battlefield, causing spatial field disturbances that ripped apart the Imperial Fleet in low orbit.
Countless Orks air-dropped to the surface, annihilating the Imperial Fists Warband, with only Kurland escaping.
News of the complete destruction of the Imperial Fists Warband and a naval fleet reached Terra, causing panic among countless citizens.
Intelligence obtained by Terra indicated that this was an unprecedented WAAAGH Great Crusade.
In this Crusade, even the most common Ork Boy reached the size of a Boss, and their leader, the Beast, was even more inconceivable.
When it first appeared, the Space Marines present thought they had encountered an ancient Gargant mech, but as they fought, they realized the so-called mech was a living Ork.
To prevent the Ork tide from destroying the Human Empire, Kurland, the last survivor of the Imperial Fists, initiated the High Wall Protocol.
All Imperial Fists successor Warbands gathered on Terra, restoring the Legion structure to combat the Orks.
After thwarting the Ork offensive, Kurland proposed establishing a special force specifically to deal with aliens.
Various Warbands contributed battle-hardened veterans to form a new Warband—the Deathwatch.
The Inquisition also established the Ordo Xenos at the same time.
The two worked together in good faith, using decapitation tactics to eliminate alien threats across the galaxy.
The Deathwatch Warband has its own fortresses and strongholds throughout the galaxy.
As for the Stormtroopers, they are the Human Empire's elite mortal troops, specially established to carry out special missions that ordinary soldiers cannot perform.
Their recruits are orphans raised in Schola Progenium, selected because their parents sacrificed themselves for the Emperor.
They undergo brutal training from a young age and possess the best weapons and equipment, with absolute loyalty to the Human Empire.
"Deathwatch? Why are they here?" Twisted person looked at the Deathwatch Kill Team with curiosity.
"Perhaps they have a fortress in the Calixis Sector," Tenjiro speculated, stroking his chin.
Twisted person slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing, "Could it be another new storyline? It feels like new storylines have been coming out quite frequently lately!"
Tenjiro showed a thoughtful expression.
"A while ago, the Guide spoke with an Aeldari NPC, stating that players should conquer special Chaos areas like the Menagerie and the Soul-Stealing Chamber."
"Now, the Deathwatch, who are related to aliens, have come to find the Guide. Could it be that the new storyline and gameplay are all related to the Inquisition?"
"Maybe it's to let us become a Kill Team for the Inquisition, to carry out missions across the galaxy, cleansing Heretics and aliens," Twisted person guessed.
"Very possible," Tenjiro agreed with Twisted person's guess. "That would be much more interesting."
...
Void Port Reception Room.
Alex and Kaiting, along with other Inquisition members, met with the Deathwatch Warband's Kill Team.
"Saint, I am Nurulus, captain of the Kill Team, here to seek your wisdom and assistance."
The leading black-armored warrior entered the hall, removed his helmet, revealing a resolute face, and bowed to Alex.
"No need for formalities," Alex observed the Titus, who introduced himself as Nurulus.
Titus was born on the Agri-World of Tarntus, his full name being Demetrian Titus.
As the only son of a poor family, Titus, like other promising young men, was selected by a Warband's Scout Company recruiter in his teens.
Fifty years later, he became an honored warrior of the Ultramarines Second Battle Company.
After the First Tyranids / Tyranid War, the Ultramarines First Company was completely annihilated.
Agemman, then captain of the Second Company, was chosen to be captain of the First Company for its reconstruction.
Senior General Tura, a senior sergeant, was promoted to captain of the Second Company, and Titus was promoted to his adjutant.
Later, Senior General Tura was ambushed by the Biel-Tan Craftworld Aeldari during the Battle of the Asteroid Arc, and ultimately fell.
Titus, who recovered his body, was promoted to captain of the Second Company.
During the Battle of Forge World Greal, Titus was accused of heresy by a comrade, and Inquisitor Crixus demanded an investigation.
To preserve the Ultramarines' reputation, Titus chose to accept the investigation.
Commander Calgar, upon learning of this, repeatedly requested the Inquisition to release Titus, but all such requests fell on deaf ears, with no response.
The Ultramarines Warband was busy with various battles and unable to spare the time to search for Inquisitor Crixus, so the matter of rescuing Titus was constantly delayed.
Inquisitor Crixus was possessed by a daemon during an operation and ultimately died tragically at the hands of the Grey Knights.
When the Red Hunters Warband was ordered to search Inquisitor Crixus's former strongholds, they discovered many Space Marines, including Titus, imprisoned in stasis fields awaiting 'investigation'.
These 'rescued' Space Marines were transferred to a Deathwatch fortress, awaiting disposition by their respective Warbands.
Titus was imprisoned for over a century, never receiving rescue from his Warband.
He believed his actions had brought shame upon the Warband, which was why they had ignored him.
Disheartened, he adopted the alias Nurulus and joined the Deathwatch.
"Why don't you use your real name, Titus?"
Alex's words made Titus's eyes widen.
He had thought no one would remember that name anymore, but the Saint before him spoke it out, which both surprised and delighted him.
He was delighted that someone still remembered the name Titus, and surprised, fearing that his past 'shame' had already been discerned by the Saint before him.
"Does Captain have another name?" Beren, another member of the Kill Team, asked in surprise.
"Titus, sounds pretty good, but why don't we know, and he does?" Darius, also part of the Kill Team, frowned.
"It feels like Captain is hiding a lot of secrets from us."
"..."
"That is a name full of shame. I am Nurulus now."
Titus's face grew gloomy as he recalled being abandoned by his Warband.
"It is not shameful, Titus. Your name is a symbol of honor. I have seen your statue in the Ultramarines' Hall of Honor."
"Commander Calgar has been searching for you for the past hundred years, but the Inquisition never disclosed Inquisitor Crixus's whereabouts to him, which is why he couldn't rescue you."
"Your brothers all thought you had sacrificed yourself. The base of your statue even reads, 'A hero who gave his life for the Emperor—Demetrian Titus.'"
"Is this true?" Titus's eyes widened, somewhat disbelieving.
"Of course it's true. There's one more thing I need to tell you: your Primarch—Roboute Guilliman—has also been resurrected. If you have time, you should go back and see him."
Alex placed his hand on Titus's shoulder and said, "Everything in the past was just a misunderstanding. Your Warband didn't abandon you. You should return to your brothers."
"Thank you for clearing my doubts. If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be in the dark," Titus said, his face showing gratitude.
He had always believed he was abandoned, a wanderer with no brothers or home.
Now, he realized it was all his own overthinking.
Commander Calgar never gave up searching for him; he just hadn't found him.
"Alright, now that your personal matters are settled, it's time to discuss business. Why did you come here?"
"As Deathwatch, your duty should be to purge Xenos, not to assist in suppressing local rebellions."
Alex stared intently at Titus.
"This rebellion is related to Xenos," Titus said. "We were originally following the orders of the Purge the Outer Sect to eliminate Xenos and corrupted organizations in the Calixis Sector."
"Some time ago, the Purge the Outer Sect discovered evidence that the Eternal Conglomerate was colluding with Xenos. This seemingly loose alliance, composed of merchant captains and outpost colony traders, is secretly supported by the 'Worm People' from the Koronus Expanse."
"These Xenos support proxies to carry out their plan of raising and enslaving humans."
"The Purge the Outer Sect discovered an anomaly on the Josian World at the edge of the Sector and dispatched us to investigate."
"We unexpectedly found that the Eternal Conglomerate was assisting the Xenos 'Worm People' in raising the local human population."
"Across the entire system, over 1.5 billion humans were enslaved. They were treated as food by the 'Worm People,' who sucked their souls."
"When we arrived, they had completely lost their sanity and become puppets of the Xenos."
"We executed an Exterminatus on that world, and as we were planning to purge the Eternal Conglomerate across the entire galaxy, the Colin Family rebelled, and the Eternal Conglomerate is one of their supporters."
"They have assembled an unimaginable army on the Haxil World. The Deathwatch in the Calixis Sector are not enough to eliminate them, so we could only come to ask for your help."
Alex opened the projection star map and located the Josian World and the Haxil Hive City.
They are both located in the peripheral areas of the Calixis Sector. Clearly, this corruption has been ongoing for a long time.
"It seems the Colin Family has not only built a network of interests covering the entire Sector but has also secretly colluded with many Heretics and Xenos races."
"I will assist you, but now is not the time. Moreover, with the Eternal Conglomerate and the Colin Family colluding, even if you take troops to the Haxil World, it will be meaningless. The rebels will certainly find a way to support their Xenos allies."
"Since that's the case, why not first concentrate our forces to strike at the rebel's vital strength? We are about to attack the Las Forge World, perhaps you can join us first."
Titus hesitated. He discussed it with his team members and finally nodded.
"Alright, we will fight for you," Titus said.
...…
The fury of the Warp was beyond imagination, but the Pilgrimage Crusade Fleet forged ahead, cutting through thorns and thistles.
Whenever the fleet emerged from the Warp, Guilliman would summon his Astropaths to receive as many Astropathic messages as possible.
These messages showed the Primarch the current miserable state of the galaxy.
Supernatural disasters plagued various Sectors, with Daemon invasions and rampant plagues.
Mutants and Psyker grew exponentially at an unprecedented rate, followed by various terrifying and insane phenomena.
Loyal servants of the Human Empire transformed into screaming Cultists, raging unchecked.
Xenos armies, carried by the raging tides of the Warp, invaded in droves. Calls for aid flew in like snowflakes, and countless Human Empire worlds were ravaged.
These messages weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, making it difficult for them to breathe.
Long-term nervous tension had a negative impact on the servants, sailors, and Warband attendants in the Pilgrimage Fleet.
It caused them to vomit, have diarrhea, feel depressed, and some even fell seriously ill.
When they reached the edge of the Maelstrom, an unimaginable Aetheric storm suddenly appeared.
The fleet navigators let out painful screams and moans, the Astropaths convulsed from the pressure of Warp energy, and the Astronomican's light flickered unsteadily, dimming to almost invisibility.
The Pilgrimage Fleet was forced to Warp out of the Warp and enter real space.
However, as soon as they entered real space, they encountered a long-planned ambush.
A voice echoed through the Pilgrimage Fleet's communication channel.
"Long time no see, my brother."
Guilliman was furious. He recognized the voice; it belonged to his traitorous brother—Magnus.
He desperately commanded the fleet, trying his best to turn the tide, but Magnus had set this treacherous trap, so how could he easily escape?
Macro-cannon fire rained down, destroying one warship after another.
Countless rune-carved torpedoes concentrated on the loyalist side, and the boiling Warp energy turned the Bridge and ammunition depots into a sea of fire.
At the moment of despair, Bald Donkey stepped forward.
"Primarch, we request to board the *Revenge of Tizca*."
"As long as we can get the Cyclone torpedo warheads into that flagship, we can turn the tide and create an opportunity for the fleet to withdraw."
Guilliman looked at the God Chosen in front of him.
Although they were usually very frivolous, they were trustworthy at critical moments.
"Go ahead and do it," Guilliman nodded.
But Bald Donkey and the other players widened their eyes and did not leave immediately, instead waiting expectantly.
Guilliman then remembered Alex's instructions and hurriedly opened the operation interface to edit the mission.
[Mission: Desperate Struggle,
The Pilgrimage Crusade team was ambushed by the evil Primarch—Magnus. The powerful Chaos Warband has put the entire Pilgrimage Crusade Fleet in crisis. Someone must step forward and cripple Magnus's flagship to allow the Crusade Fleet to escape.
The loyal Primarch—Guilliman—is looking for heroes willing to sacrifice themselves. Go find him quickly and accept this glorious mission.
Basic Reward: 150,000 Contribution Points, 10,000 Honor Points, a sacred relic of the Ultramarines Warband.
]
"There's a sacred relic! That's great! I knew volunteering would get more rewards."
Bald Donkey's face showed excitement.
"Brothers, now let's get ready for the boarding mission and give that sunburnt one-eyed Ogryn a good lesson."