After the void battle at Las Forge World resulted in a loss, Urs, on Elo's suggestion, chose to retreat to Malz World, preparing to regroup forces there and fight the Imperial Loyalists to the death.
After all, the Emperor had thousands of Astartes in his hands, and the Astartes were best at decapitation strikes and small-scale battles.
If they continued to scatter, they would likely be defeated one by one by the Imperial Loyalists, ultimately leading to their downfall.
During the Las campaign, due to the Imperial Fleet's rapid advance, many troops were stranded on the surface and in the void, either captured or executed.
However, many lucky ones were taken away by Urs's fleet.
Scalp was one of them.
He was the only Player still carrying out an infiltration mission.
Now, he didn't look like a Space Marine at all; he would only be mistaken for a low-quality gene-modified human, a poor imitation of an Astartes.
Imitating Astartes to create low-quality gene-modified beings was not uncommon in the Calixis Sector.
Many tech-madmen in the field of bio-genetics envied the powerful strength of the Emperor's Angels and longed to have such servants and warriors.
However, they lacked the Emperor's wisdom, and even more so, Cawl's resources and persistence.
They could only search for suitable targets, using their superficial knowledge for mad modifications, poorly imitating the Astartes.
Even imitating Astartes wasn't the craziest thing; even the Emperor's Custodians had imitations in the Calixis Sector's black market.
Some even went so far as to get a set of golden armor.
Such haphazard modifications could only be endured by Players.
They only needed to commit suicide, and upon resurrection, they would return to their original appearance.
During the escape, Scalp acted very loyal, assisting his superiors in suppressing several rebellions.
These excellent performances earned him a promotion to a minor leader, managing several cabins.
After completing his daily patrol, Scalp secretly hid in a secluded secret room.
There was nothing in the secret room but cold marble and darkness.
After waiting for a moment, he activated a mechanical device implanted in his body.
This device was located near his heart and was designed to inject stimulants into it.
This device also had another hidden function: to provide communication coordinates to the Guide.
Soon after activating the device, a projection materialized in front of Scalp.
"Guide."
"You've done an excellent job, God Chosen 'Midnight Lord, does your scalp itch?'. When you return, I will heavily reward you."
Upon hearing this, Scalp's face showed excitement.
Listening to the Guide's words, an eagle medal was certainly within reach.
He just didn't know what level it would be.
He didn't dare to dream of gold, but silver would make him very happy, and bronze was also acceptable.
"Serving the Imperium is my greatest honor."
"The God-Emperor is pleased with you." Alex nodded, "Are there any recent reports on the rebels?"
"There are some. This rebel fleet is retreating to Malz World and will rendezvous with other rebels there. I heard there might be Xenos."
"I also heard that the rebels control a Star Gate on the fringes of the Calixis Sector."
"..."
Scalp recounted all the intelligence he had gathered during this period.
"Malz World?" Alex's face showed contemplation.
"It seems they intend to gather their forces and fight us to the death. This is exactly what I want. These traitors have been hopping around for too long."
"We must eliminate them as quickly as possible to restore peace to the Calixis Sector."
Scalp remained silent, listening quietly.
Alex looked up at Scalp.
"You are to continue your infiltration, ascertain their military deployment and hidden forces, and, most importantly, find out what's going on with the Star Gate they control."
"Understood." Scalp performed an aquila salute.
"May the Emperor protect you," Alex said.
The communication was cut.
Scalp stayed in the secret room for a while longer before walking out.
"9527, are you hiding in there again, licking your past wounds alone?"
A burly, strong man with an implanted electronic eye called out to Scalp in the corridor.
"Boss." Scalp saluted him.
The other party, named Jonah, was a senior supervisor in Urs's fleet.
When the lower-class laborers rebelled, he saved Jonah's life, earning his appreciation and becoming his subordinate.
"9527, if you have any difficulties, just tell your boss. I've got your back," Jonah said, "We're brothers, after all."
"Understood, Boss. If anything comes up, I'll definitely tell you." Scalp nodded.
...
On the Imperial Glory,
Alex pondered the intelligence he had just received from Scalp.
The Colin Family had not given up and intended to gather allies for a counterattack.
"It's good that they're gathering for a counterattack. If they scattered and fled, it would be harder to catch them."
"Gather all your forces in the Malz system, and then embrace despair."
Alex mused over his next arrangements.
Since the enemy wanted to gather their army on Malz World for a decisive battle against him,
He would give them enough time,
And dispatch troops to wage war in other areas of the Calixis Sector, driving the rebels towards Malz World.
Once they were gathered, he would tighten the noose around their necks and let them suffocate completely.
At this moment, a golden light screen appeared.
"Congratulations, you have gained experience!"
"LV15 -> LV16"
"Skill learned: Soul Storm."
"Soul Storm: You are the embodiment of the Emperor's divine power, the focal point through which He observes the human world. His supreme might will be unleashed with you as the anchor."
"Hint: This skill can unleash a terrifying Soul Storm, expelling all Warp energy within the area. Its power is determined by the amount of Faith consumed."
"Skill learned: Faith Frenzy."
"Faith Frenzy: Faith is humanity's most potent weapon against the Warp. Faith in the God-Emperor will be converted into power, entering the bodies of believers, thereby giving them greater hope to defeat enemies of the Warp."
"Hint: This skill will cause nearby God-Emperor believers to enter a berserk state, granting them a comprehensive buff. The intensity of the buff is determined by the strength and purity of their faith."
"Another overall buff, but focused on faith. It seems the Ecclesiarchy Players are going to have a blast," Alex muttered to himself as he looked at the skill prompts.
With these two skills, faith truly became power.
Ecclesiarchy Players would have two more stackable buffs on the battlefield than other Players.
After reviewing the skill descriptions he gained from leveling up,
Alex then dedicated his energy to handling administrative affairs.
With the successive victories in the Syntilla campaign and the Las campaign, coupled with Guilliman's endorsement,
Alex was already the highest-ranking ruler in Calixis Sector.
Riding on the momentum of his great victories, his reform policies began to be implemented on a small scale in worlds still loyal to the Emperor.
For example, optimizing administrative structures, reforming profit distribution mechanisms, improving welfare for the lower classes,
Finding ways to make up for the army's overdue salaries, replacing old equipment for units at all levels,
Suppressing overly radical Ecclesiarchy doctrines, tracing them back to their origins, establishing Ecclesiarchy academies, and spreading a new faith that combined science and reason with religion.
Reforming the Warhammer Universe was like walking a tightrope on a cliff while wearing shackles.
The Chaos Gods were watching intently; a slight misstep and they would corrupt everything.
Faith was the most effective weapon for ordinary people against Chaos, and the Ecclesiarchy could certainly not be abandoned.
But technology and reason also had to be promoted; the Imperium's citizens could no longer be as ignorant and uninformed as before.
There were also many problems encountered during the reforms.
Many families and planetary governors whose interests were affected were unwilling to cooperate with Alex's reforms.
As for the Ecclesiarchy, there was even less to say.
If it weren't for his status as a Living Saint, someone would definitely have come to his door with flamethrowers to 'warm him up.'
Alex could only patiently and slowly grind away at this.
The accumulated ills of the Imperium were not the work of a single day,
And it would not be possible to rectify them in a short time.
After dealing with administrative affairs, Alex began to process various Player applications.
"Application to streaking and perform the 'Big Bird Dance' at the celebration ceremony? Denied."
"Application to use 'Luna Wolves' as a Warband name? Approved."
"Application for Player 'Running Towards the Sea' for the position of Navy Lieutenant Commander? Approved."
"..."
"Application to develop a Mind Control Device?"
Upon seeing the MC Dynasty's application, Alex paused for a moment.
He looked up the description of the Mind Control Device.
This was a device that influenced and controlled living beings by emitting brainwaves and neural impulses.
If used on pets, it could make them 100% loyal and complete commands given to them.
This device was developed by a scientist during the Golden Age.
It was originally intended for animal taming, to enhance human survival capabilities in alien environments.
Later, it was used by some dictators to enslave humans.
This was why the Mind Control Device was listed as forbidden technology by the Imperium.
The MC Dynasty's application to produce this device was naturally not for enslaving humans.
They wanted to use the Mind Control Device to control giant beasts, thereby creating an army of giant beasts, or for Players to use as mounts.
To this end, they removed the frequency bands and functions that could control humans or highly intelligent beings, making it only usable for controlling individuals with lower mental capacities.
"Although there are risks, we shouldn't stop eating for fear of choking. Besides, adding a mount system is quite good; it can better stimulate Player enthusiasm."
Even without the Mind Control Device, ambitious individuals would always find ways to enslave humans if they wanted to.
Xenos control, brainwashing, implanting enslavement devices—these had all happened.
Not to mention distant examples, just the Adeptus Mechanicus nearby, their Tech-Priests could freely take over the bodies of the Skitarii, making them their slaves.
After weighing the pros and cons, Alex approved the MC Dynasty's application, but he required that the finished product be brought for inspection, and only after ensuring there were no issues could formal production begin.
At the same time, he began to formulate regulations for the production and management of mental control devices.
Except for the Inquisition, which had a limited quota for using mind-enslavement devices on humans,
No other organization or department was allowed to possess enslavement devices that could control humans.
Once anyone was found to be using them illegally, they would immediately be declared an Anathema Traitor.
Their families and members of related organizations would all be subject to scrutiny.
Anyone deemed to have known and failed to report would be considered equally guilty and would not be pardoned.
As soon as Alex signed the document approving production,
The MC Dynasty received the news.
"Begin experiments immediately!" MC Myth shouted, "We need to seize the time!"
After the Las Forge World campaign ended, the modifications to the Exemplar Saint Fist were also completed.
MC Myth subtly expressed his desire to strike out on his own to Dora.
Dora first tried to persuade him to stay, and then readily allowed MC Myth to leave.
From the day MC Myth joined Dora Workshop,
Dora knew that he was an impressive individual with ideas and initiative.
Such a person would not be content to remain subservient; departure was inevitable.
Let's be straightforward; we'll still be friends if we meet again.
MC Myth's command set everyone in MC Dynasty into motion.
Under unified command, their execution was astonishing.
They quickly purchased large quantities of xenofauna from merchants or issued bounty quests to Players in other worlds to find them for experiments.
Their experiments proceeded smoothly.
After all, they had plenty of money and could leverage the wisdom and computational power of the Star God Cortana to fix equipment issues.
At the same time, they also released some news and images for promotional purposes.
After another set of images showing controlled alien reptiles performing various actions was uploaded to the regional chat channel, it quickly sparked heated discussions among Players.
Warmaster: "Your game, my game seems different..."
Desert: "Regional chat channel prohibits singing."
Dragon Lobster: "No, you guys are already doing beast taming?"
Old Bird: "This game has once again refreshed my understanding. Damn, you really can do anything."
MC Myth: "We plan to do beast taming, and we'll get you guys mounts then too."
Little Alpaca: "Mounts? Can I go catch a Sandworm? I've been really into them lately!!"
MC Myth: "..."
"Please don't put so much pressure on us. You can find a small one; after all, small ones are cute too."
Desert: "Regional chat channel prohibits dirty jokes."
Warmaster: "If we can catch mounts, wouldn't it be awesome to catch a Tyrant as a mount?"
King of Mount & Blade: "Support! My demands aren't high. I want to get a Tyranids / Tyranid Hive Ship, the kind with a Norn-Queen and Brood Mother. Make it big, make it strong, create glory."
Colonel Datch: "I am the Swarm?"
"..."
Alex was also paying attention to the regional chat channel, and seeing the Players wanting to use mind controllers to manipulate Tyranids / Tyranid units, he began to ponder the feasibility of this idea.
The Hive Mind relies on Tyranids / Tyranid psychic energy to control all Tyranid.
Synapse Creatures act as relays, transmitting the Hive Mind's will to every lesser Tyranids / Tyranid.
Most Tyranids / Tyranid units will revert to a feral state once the Hive Mind's influence is gone,
unless they are Genestealer with Brood Telepathy, units born for specific missions,
only then can they function normally without Synapse Creatures.
Theoretically, as long as a Tyranids / Tyranid's reception of Hive Mind commands is blocked, it can be kept in a feral state and controlled with a mind controller.
Using a mind controller to enslave a Hive Tyrant or Hormagaunt is possible.
It might just require several optimizations to perfectly control these Tyranids / Tyranid units.
...
After Angron entered the battlefield,
a brutal war quickly erupted.
The Khorne fleet opened fire indiscriminately on non-Blood God forces.
The frenzied World Eaters even boarded Thousand Sons warships.
They shouted incoherently, most of them unable to even comprehend their targets.
Rage consumed everything: their reason, their former pride.
The noble War Hounds Legion died on the day their father returned,
just as the great Warmaster Horus died on Davin.
The World Eaters only knew they could continue to kill,
making everything before them bleed and scream,
brewing more sacrificial wine for their thirsty god,
was the only thing they should do.
They succumbed to rage and launched an attack together.
The entire battlefield descended into chaos.
Magnus was so angry he wanted to spit blood.
He finally understood why Perturabo was so infuriated he spat blood during the Siege of Terra.
Who wouldn't be exasperated encountering Angron and the World Eaters as teammates?!
Don't they recognize the situation?
Shouldn't they be working together to capture Guilliman first?
Fulgrim in the distance watched, stunned.
Good heavens!
After millennia, Angron has become even crazier.
He immediately started giving Magnus a hard time!
Does this guy still have any sanity?
Fulgrim speculated in his heart,
Perhaps Angron's sanity had long since been annihilated, and now only the rage brought by the Butcher's Nails remained.
The Players standing by the viewport also saw the fierce battle between the Khorne fleet and the Thousand Sons fleet.
Bald Donkey tapped the reinforced glass with his finger, "Look at what loyalty is; this is loyalty."
"Big brother sits on the golden throne, second brother sits on the copper throne; golden throne and copper throne, hearts linked, no separation."
Pig Head Strong: "..."
Krieg: "..."
What the hell is "golden throne and copper throne, hearts linked"?!
Does the Emperor know about your outrageous statement?
...
On the Bridge of Macragge's Honour.
Guilliman watched the blood-red meteor, which was Angron, cross the Thousand Sons fleet and charge towards the Imperial fleet.
He knew very well that the other party was coming for him.
With the opponent's formidable physique and power, and the subsequent firepower of the Khorne fleet, the Imperial fleet would undoubtedly suffer terrible losses.
Given this, it would be better to shift the battlefield in advance.
"Teleport immediately to that Blackstone Fortress," Guilliman commanded.
Huron Blackheart knew little about the Blackstone Fortress and had not conducted much research, so its core and many areas were not yet in use, and naturally, no effective defenses could be put in place.
Guilliman and the Players, along with Sicarius and other personal guards, teleported over and entered the interior of the Blackstone Fortress, clashing with the Red Corsairs.
"For Guilliman, Fire In The Hole."
Bald Donkey pulled the pin of a meltabomb and threw it into the distance.
Boom!
Several Red Corsairs who hadn't watched their step were blown away,
their ceramite armor turning into slag from the explosive meltaglow.
Then, he activated the chainsword in his hand and charged towards the enemy.
This was a relic obtained from the previous mission, left by a certain Ultramarines Captain from 1000 years ago.
To gather fifty relics,
Guilliman had his Ultramarines exchange their old weapons and equipment for new ones,
giving the weapons and power armor with the Warband's history to the Players, making Bald Donkey and the others so happy they couldn't stop smiling, their eyes almost narrowing into slits.
Guilliman was slaughtering Red Corsairs on the battlefield.
The Emperor's Sword flew up and down, and charred severed limbs and remains splattered out.
"Don't stray too far! Protect the Regent! At all costs, ensure the Regent's safety!"
Bald Donkey shouted, telling the Players to fight around Guilliman.
Their enthusiasm was even greater than that of the guard led by Sicarius.
This made Sicarius feel a wave of frustration. Are you the Primarch's guard, or am I the Primarch's guard?
Guilliman tacitly approved Bald Donkey's arrangement, even intentionally so.
After all, he was about to fight his former brother,
and the battle would certainly be extremely brutal.
Ordinary Astartes are very fragile in battles between Primarchs.
The God Chosen possessed his father's blessing and could return from death; even if they died in battle, they just needed to be re-purchased and compensated enough.
If Sicarius and these sons died in battle, they would truly be dead.
Angron possessed a keen intuition for his targets of slaughter.
When Guilliman teleported, he quickly sensed it.
In mid-air, he directly changed direction and charged towards the Blackstone Fortress.
The Fortress's defensive cannons quickly turned, forming a barrage, pouring fire upon him.
But a layer of blood-red light barrier appeared, nullifying most of the gunfire.
Boom!
Accompanied by an earth-shattering roar,
the Red Corsairs felt a terrifying force impact the Blackstone Fortress.
A huge gap was smashed into a part of the Blackstone Fortress,
and raging hellfire surged and burned.
Angron had landed on the Blackstone Fortress.
He roared, calling Guilliman's name, and strode deep into the Fortress.
The moment Angron descended onto the battlefield, he began to slaughter, desperately killing any warrior who stood in his way,
roaring, hacking, shouting, and trampling without pause.
Where he walked, he left a bloody path burning with flames.
When his subordinate reported, Huron felt a surge of frustration.
The two Primarchs were actually using his Blackstone Fortress as a battlefield, and this would surely dismantle the Blackstone Fortress he had painstakingly acquired.
But besides glaring, he had no other choice and could only let them be.
After all, he knew his own limits; interfering in the struggle and battle between the two Primarchs was purely like opening a bird-divination in a toilet—seeking death.
"Angron."
Guilliman glared at the other party.
The last time they fought was on Angron's homeworld, Nuceria.
That was also where Lorgar held the ceremony for Angron.
Undoubtedly, that time, he also lost and was rescued by his sons.
Angron also temporarily stopped his actions, staring intently at his former brother.
Then, he let out a deafening roar and charged at Guilliman.
The blades in their hands sparked brightly with each collision.
The daemon sword Sannius and the Emperor's Sword collided, erupting with an unimaginable force.
Both sides were immediately repelled by a powerful impact with dazzling light.
Bald Donkey and the other Players, seeing the Daemon Primarch expose a weakness, launched their attacks.
Angron roared and swept forcefully with his Spinegrinder axe, instantly cleaving several Players, their bloody remains falling to the ground.
But the Players still pressed on, one after another, sacrificing their lives to create a better combat advantage for Guilliman.
Meanwhile, on Macragge's Honour,
Cawl was adjusting the lighthouse equipment.
As he operated it, the silent quantum engine emitted a low hum.
During this time, he had been using the knowledge Alex gave him to build the lighthouse.
Cortana had humanized this technology, but it still took Cawl a lot of effort to install it on Macragge's Honour.
Today was the first round of testing.
When the indicator lights interlaced and lit up, the quantum engine formed an emotional field and glowed in the galaxy.
Cortana instantly noticed the activation of this lighthouse.
"Cawl?" Cortana's voice rang out in the communicator.
"omnissiah above, it seems I've succeeded."
Cawl, who was adjusting the equipment, showed a hint of excitement.
"Please inform the Guide, the Primarch needs his help."