Even after the Great Rift tore the galaxy apart, the Warp storms did not completely stop; rather, they intensified.
At that time, a gigantic fleet appeared at the entrance to the stellar orbit.
These warships navigated to a safe Mandeville Point, tore open the veil, and plunged into the Warp.
The warship leading the fleet was the Glory Queen-class warship Red Tear, commanded by Sanguinius.
The Red Tear was enormous, like a gigantic mobile city, covered in exaggerated armor.
On both sides were lined up gigantic cannons large enough to erase an entire city from the map, and a statue of the Emperor stood there.
Sanguinius, the Regent who governed the shadowed portion of the Imperium, stood on the bridge.
This bridge was the center of the Red Tear. The thirty-meter-high dome was supported by dozens of pillars carved with angelic sculptures.
Observation windows of reinforced glass stretched across the entire wall, but they were currently blocked by thick PVC panels.
Looking directly into the Warp is without doubt one of the most foolish ways to die.
Sanguinius stood in front of the strategic command post, his pure white wings folded on both sides of his shoulder blades, the tips of the wings naturally drooping and almost touching the ground.
His golden armor still shone even under the dim lighting of the bridge, making him the most awe-inspiring and eye-catching presence on the bridge.
The fleet's mission was to head to the Prospero system and attack the psychic empire that Magnus had built.
Magnus had invaded Fenris, sacrificed tens of billions of lives, and pulled Prospero back from the Warp into the real universe.
On this foundation, they had built and expanded a human empire.
Magnus was influencing the entirety of humanity in the galaxy through some kind of psychic awakening ritual.
This caused the number of psykers to increase at an extremely rapid rate.
The number of serious incidents such as daemonic invasions caused by uncontrolled psychic energy was also increasing.
In order to solve this problem, Sanguinius resolved to wage war against Prospero and completely stop Magnus's schemes.
Just as Sanguinius and Dante were discussing with the other Blood Angels how to attack Prospero,
the oracle suddenly issued a warning, indicating that an abnormality had occurred in the spatial parameters.
The Astartes on the bridge quickly switched to combat stance and prepared to attack the enemy.
At that moment, a TARDIS telephone box suddenly appeared on the bridge of the Red Tear.
Dante, who was standing next to the Primarch, immediately drew his battle-axe and activated it.
Bright arcs of electricity covered the axe, crackling, and the fine serrations of the axe blade emitted a cold, terrifying light in the electric glow.
At the same time, he was shouting for the Sanguinary Guard to prepare.
The trained soldiers simultaneously obeyed their lord's command.
They quickly charged toward Sanguinius, built an impregnable barrier in front of him, and aimed grenades at the suddenly appeared telephone box. "Stop! The newcomer is not an enemy."
"It is our revered nameless one."
Sanguinius opened his mouth and stopped his sons from taking any further action.
He had seen the TARDIS telephone box before, and Corax himself had once ridden this strange vehicle with the nameless one on a journey into the past.
Hearing the Primarch's words, Dante and the other Blood Angels immediately put away their weapons.
The nameless ones do not have a good reputation among the Blood Angels.
They had been so thoroughly deceived at that time that they almost cried and seriously thought they had been abandoned by their Primarch.
However, the noble status of the nameless ones is not changed by this fact.
The Blood Angels fully understand this and will show the nameless ones the utmost respect.
The TARDIS telephone box stopped quietly. When the door opened, Datch emerged together with Ferrus and Magnus.
Sanguinius, who had been leading the worship of the nameless one, suddenly raised his face and was immediately astonished when he saw that Magnus had two eyes.
Huh…
Why does Magnus have two eyes?
In Magnus's memory, he had always been able to see with only one eye.
Was the Magnus standing before him created by some unknown existence?
Seeing Sanguinius's confusion, Ferrus explained to him, "This is Magnus from thirty thousand years ago."
Sanguinius suddenly showed an expression of understanding and immediately accepted the fact.
Time travel seems unbelievably unrealistic to ordinary people.
But for the nameless people, it holds no meaning whatsoever.
"Didn't you say you were taking me to Prospero ten thousand years from now?"
Magnus looked around, quickly confirmed everything on the bridge, and then fixed his gaze on Sanguinius.
The other party had the same body as himself, yet genuine white wings grew from it.
The other man was also extremely handsome. Regardless of culture, people would unconsciously classify him as handsome or beautiful.
Clad in heavy golden armor, she was like a perfect angel from mythology.
To be honest, Magnus felt a little jealous at that moment. He could only quietly comfort himself.
What meaning is there in having a fine appearance? The most important thing is to possess knowledge and understand the truth.
A wise scholar is a thousand times more valuable than a beautiful vase.
"We are currently on our way to Prospero," Sanguinius explained to Magnus. "In a few hours we will arrive at the star system where Prospero is located."
"I see." Magnus nodded as if he suddenly understood, then asked, "Are you going on a pilgrimage to Prospero?"
Magnus's voice contained an expectation he could not hide and a self-satisfied pride.
It was like a farmer standing beside a wheat field he had painstakingly cultivated for a year asking a traveler who had come from afar, "Have you come to see the harvest?"
In Magnus's imagination, Prospero must have become a sacred place by this time.
The people of Prospero are still prosperous and powerful, with beautiful cities dotted everywhere.
Its gigantic library has been expanded to an extremely luxurious scale; the dome pierces the sky, and the bookshelves stretch from the ground like cliffs to a height beyond the reach of sight.
The museums are filled with his collections, manuscripts, deciphered difficult documents, and the knowledge that generations of scholars have built upon his research.
Countless people seeking knowledge set out from every corner of the galaxy, endure long voyages filled with loneliness and danger, and all aim for Prospero.
They offer precious books brought from their respective home planets, enter the temple of knowledge with the pious hearts unique to pilgrims, and take the necessary knowledge home.
Magnus's question caused a subtle emotional exchange among the people on the bridge.
For a moment they did not know how to answer.
They were not going on a pilgrimage to Prospero.
From the largest Queen of Glory-class battleship to the smallest frigate, the entire fleet exists for only one purpose: to destroy Prospero.
Sanguinius walked over to Magnus and looked at his brother.
"Since you come from the past, there may be some aspects of history that you do not know very well."
"History? I know nothing."
Magnus is a Primarch and not a fool. He possesses enough wisdom to read many truths from a few words and to sense the change in the atmosphere on the bridge.
"Could it be that Prospero was unable to become the sacred land that psykers throughout the galaxy yearn for, as I had envisioned?"
"Have the knowledge I painstakingly collected not been inherited?"
Sadness seeped into Magnus's voice. Those manuscripts and books were the fruits of the countless days and nights he had spent organizing them.
Even though they were a precious treasure for all of humanity, they were unable to survive.
"Prospero has now, in a certain sense, become a place that many psykers yearn for."
Dante whispered, "Especially those who have chosen to abandon their humanity and join Chaos. They are rushing to Prospero day and night solely to bring further suffering to humanity."
Hearing this, Magnus felt that something was wrong.
What does it mean that psykers who have chosen to abandon humanity and side with the Chaos Gods choose Prospero?
That is not the Prospero I envisioned.
"Who?"
A faint anger seeped into Magnus's voice.
"Who turned my homeland into this? I will never forgive them."
"Whoever the other party is, I will make them pay a heavy price and make them remember how terrifying my anger is."
The moment they heard this, everyone's expressions became even more subtle.
If the atmosphere on the bridge earlier had been awkward, then… now it was an awkward square.
Dante felt as if something were stuck in his throat; he could neither raise nor lower his voice.
"Do you really intend never to forgive the person who messed up Prospero?"
Sanguinius's tone was calm, and a faint smile floated on his lips.
Without a doubt, this is a problem with a dark side.
Everyone stared at Magnus with eyes full of expectation.
Except for Magnus himself, they all knew the true identity of Prospero.
"Of course I could never forgive such a bastard!"
Magnus paid no attention whatsoever to these things. His heart was filled with anger at having his dreams shattered.
"I intended to build Prospero into a sacred land of knowledge in the galaxy and bring benefits to all of humanity."
"Now it has become a blasphemous place occupied by human traitors. Just thinking about it makes me want to kill the one who caused all of this."
"The purpose of our coming here is to punish the current ruler of Prospero," Sanguinius said with a smile.
"Perhaps we can even let you take the lead and give you the opportunity to punish the other party."
Magnus heard this and nodded, his tone sincere.
"Thank you for giving me such an opportunity."
Ferrus, Dante, and the others standing nearby also stared with wide eyes.
No, do you know what is happening?
You're saying thank you?
Datch overheard the NPCs' conversation and quietly muttered something in his heart.
The Archangel is indeed handsome and cunning, and loves to cause trouble.
...
After an indeterminate period of navigation, the suspended bell was rung.
At the same time, the voice rang out through the communication lines.
["We have arrived at the Prospero system. We will soon enter realspace. All units, prepare for impact."]
The voice was broadcast four times.
This is standard procedure in the Imperial Navy. In the Warp, a place that can drive people mad at any moment, repeated confirmation is never wasted.
The ordinary crew of the warships secured their bodies with harnesses and safety ropes, while the Astartes stabilized their bodies using the magnetic function of their boots.
The fleet emerged from the Warp and plunged into realspace.
Violent shaking made everyone tremble.
Because of unstable currents, the lighting system flickered, casting alternating light and shadow on everyone's faces, making them look like a group of ghosts. That state continued until the system stabilized and the lighting returned to normal.
"Transition successful. Entire fleet deployment complete. Glory to the Golden Throne."
A certain Tech-Adept shouted over the vox.
"Raise the vertical screens and prepare for combat," Sanguinius ordered in a calm and authoritative voice.
The support frames automatically retracted into the walls, and the safety ropes were released from the crew's waists, allowing everyone to immediately return to their posts.
The PVC panels on the reinforced glass slowly rose.
Light from outside shone through the gaps, revealing a desolate landscape to the people on the bridge.
The first thing that came into view was a gigantic purple-blue void stretching for millions of kilometers, from which a sickly purple light was being emitted.
Without a doubt, this is a Warp rift.
The closer one approaches the center, the more the color of the cracks tends toward a rotten yellowish-white.
Beside the cracks, a medium-sized red star floated in the void like a violently burning fireball.
Prospero, the fleet's destination, floated at an appropriate distance, surrounded by numerous magnificent void constructs.
Those constructs drifted in orbit around Prospero, circling the planet, and were inhabited by numerous daemons.
They moved back and forth across the surfaces and gaps of those void existences, soaring through the void without needing air or propulsion.
Countless buildings that could be identified with the naked eye even from millions of kilometers away had, due to the chaotic atmospheric pollution, either grown flesh and blood or transformed into glittering crystals.
Witnessing the blasphemy of Prospero, Magnus's eyes burned with anger.
The Prospero he had envisioned should not look like this.
He had wished to see pure white towers, magnificent libraries with soaring domes, and cities shining with the light of knowledge under the sunlight.
They were pilgrims who had come from every corner of the galaxy, their eyes filled with longing.
It is precisely those scholars who bow their heads to study his classics and marvel at his manuscripts.
Not a corrupted planet, nor a planet emitting eerie light with daemons writhing about.
The perpetrator of all these crimes must pay the price.
Magnus's breathing became rough and rapid, filled with killing intent.
At that moment, the communications officer shouted that an enemy communication request had been received.
"Bring them in."
Sanguinius issued the order in a calm tone.
When Sanguinius began to speak, the large holographic projection device installed in the center of the bridge started operating.
Rays of light like static flickered in the air and brought the silhouette of the communicator into relief.
Immediately afterward, something was projected from nowhere.
It was Tzeentch's favorite, the Crimson King, the one-eyed Magnus.
The opponent's skin was the characteristic deep crimson; on his head were two curved horns, and two broad wings that constantly changed color to an eerie hue grew from his back.
However, what shocked Magnus the most was the opponent's face.
That face was identical to his own; the only difference was that the opponent had only one eye.
Without a doubt, that was himself — himself from ten thousand years in the future.
In other words, the one who turned Prospero into this state ten thousand years later was none other than himself.
The one-eyed Magnus projected on the image directed his gaze toward Sanguinius.
"Brother, you came from so far away — why didn't you tell me in advance?!"
"I just came to take a look. Why make such a fuss?" Sanguinius answered humorously.
The actions of the Nameless One made him look forward to what would happen next.
However, he uneasily looked around.
Just as the one-eyed Magnus was about to retort, he unconsciously turned in another direction, and his pupils instantly dilated.
He saw his younger self staring at him with eyes full of anger.
Unlike me, it had not become one-eyed, grown horns, or grown daemonic wings.
"A crude replica!"
That was Magnus's first thought, and anger flared in his single eye.
The man standing before me is without doubt a clone created by the Imperium using my own genes.
Just like that damned apothecary Fabius Bile who has died countless times,
they obtain genetic samples of the original organism through various channels, cultivate them in secret laboratories, and attempt to create forgeries that look exactly like the real thing.
Magnus was filled with uncontrollable anger; the fury dwelling in his eyes was obvious to anyone.
"You are an inferior copy."
Anger was contained in Magnus's voice.
"How can you ruin my Prospero like this?"
When he spoke these words, there was an unmistakable, deeply rooted sense of belonging contained within them.
Prospero is mine. I was saved by the heavens and rebuilt the heavens with my own hands.
I built a wonderful library there and wrote countless books.
It was my planet, my homeland, my sacred land.
Standing before my eyes is not a one-eyed monster with horns and daemonic wings.
"This is my homeland. Not a place you copied."
The one-eyed Magnus grew even angrier when he saw the other party dare to contradict him.
"You bastard!" the young Magnus shouted. "Get out of Prospero right now, get out of my homeland. Otherwise I'll show you how terrifying my anger is."
The one-eyed Magnus was also furious. "Come on, bring it, you damned fake! I'll tear you to shreds!"
Then the one-eyed Magnus looked at Sanguinius.
"Sanguinius, don't think you can defeat me with such despicable methods. Just watch — I will definitely achieve the final victory."
Having finished speaking, the Crimson King stopped the projection.
He was clearly furious. He had not even seen the figure of the Nameless One.
Otherwise, how could they make such boastful claims?
"What a joke! How did it come to this?!"
The young Magnus stared intently at the hysterical screams projected on the pitch-black projection screen.
How great is the possibility that I will become a human like them in the future?
This cannot be reality. That damned fraud must be impersonating me."
"I must kill him. I absolutely must kill him."
Magnus clenched his fists, concentrated terrifying spiritual power, and released a strike.
With a roar, the entire strategic projection platform was instantly destroyed, and bright sparks scattered.
Ferrus and Sanguinius exchanged glances, and a victorious, wicked smile floated in their eyes.
Next should be a confrontation between Magnus and Magnus.
...
On the surface of Prospero, the one-eyed Magnus sealed away the power he had unleashed and looked up into the void with a cold gaze.
"The time has come to shock the Imperium."
"Do they seriously think they can do anything just by increasing the number of warships?"
"Today I will show them my true strength."
"Appear, giant beasts of the end times."
The one-eyed Magnus chanted an ancient spell and completed the summoning ritual relying on cruel bloodstains.
Terrifying spiritual power erupted in an instant, forcibly tearing and distorting the void through the expanding rift.
A terrifying crack appeared in the void, from which dazzling light sprayed forth.
Then terrifying Warp behemoths appeared.
These Warp behemoths possessed nine serpent heads and bodies the size of stars, and were of unparalleled terror.
The Imperial fleet was like ants before these nine gigantic beasts.
Sanguinius and his companions, who saw these gigantic beasts, all wore serious expressions. How on earth are we supposed to fight such gigantic creatures that have appeared from the Warp?!
Only Datch seemed excited.
Even though he had suppressed Yog-Sothoth for a long time and provided him with plenty of free meals, he still had to make him work.
With that in mind, Datch opened the Room of Requirement and summoned Yog-Sothoth.