"What do you mean there's some strange new faith spreading through Ultramar? And it's specifically centered around Guilliman?"
The moment Bruce heard Selyas's report, that was the first question he asked.
I mean, it's just faith, right? What's so strange about that?
Guilliman was the lord of the Five Hundred Worlds. Even if Ultramar had never gone as rabid as Lorgar's realm—never built itself around full-blown religious worship—there were still plenty of Ultramar's people who treated Guilliman like a god.
That was just a very normal kind of spontaneous folk belief.
And not just in Ultramar. On plenty of other Primarchs' home worlds, mortals worshiped their Primarchs like divine beings.
That was simply how humans were.
They admired strength, and they liked to project their hopes, emotions, and need for spiritual support onto someone powerful.
"It's different here…" Selyas shook her head. "From what I observed, after worshiping statues of Guilliman, the locals receive a kind of enhancement. Its most obvious effect is that they become even more fanatical."
"I captured one sample and examined him. The result was… unusual. Something in his subconscious had been unlocked. He entered a state of excitement several times stronger than normal."
"Mind control?" Curze pointed straight at the core of it.
"Something similar," Selyas said. "That's why I found it suspicious. So I interrogated the subject further and discovered that something… strange had replaced Guilliman as the real target of their devotion."
"In other words, the moment these Ultramar people become Guilliman's believers, a portion of their faith is siphoned away by something deeper."
"Did you find out who's behind it?" Bruce immediately grew alert.
Anything capable of this had to be tied to Chaos somehow. But if it really was one of the Four, would they bother with something this roundabout?
Going through Guilliman just to harvest belief… that didn't really match their usual style. Which meant there might be something even stranger moving in the dark.
"No. The only thing I could confirm," Selyas said, scratching her head, "is that the samples kept referring, in their subconscious, to Guilliman as… the Sentinel?"
"…What?"
The moment Bruce heard that unfamiliar-yet-somehow-familiar title, something clicked in his head.
"You know something, don't you?" Curze asked at once.
"That shouldn't be possible…" Bruce muttered, still thinking it through. "The odds are basically zero."
What do you mean, I walk into a Warhammer world and run into something called Leviathan? Is this even still Warhammer at that point?
If it really was what he thought it was, then he absolutely had to do something before the Imperial Creed fully took shape across humanity. Otherwise, once organized religion locked in, the problem would explode beyond control.
"Say what you know, new recruit." Curze's tone left no room for dodging. "If I'm guessing right, this has something to do with the world you came from?"
"You guessed right…" Bruce rubbed his temples. "But the probability is still close to zero. Not completely zero, though, so… I think we should bring Horus into this conversation."
"She's been planning to contact Guilliman anyway. If we warn him in advance, maybe we can prevent a disaster."
Curze nodded. "Fine. Do it now. Selyas, your mission is complete. I'm authorizing you to increase the scope of the investigation. Gather as much information on this as you can."
"Yes. It is my honor to serve you, Father."
Selyas looked delighted by the praise, then added one more piece of intelligence.
"There's something else. The World Eaters… their recent movements don't look good either."
"For example?" Curze glanced at Bruce, who was already pulling out a paper cup and setting up a line to Horus.
"From what I've gathered, their Primarch's condition has been worsening rapidly lately. It seems to be connected to something called the Butcher's Nails. According to reports, he's already close to death."
"If he really can die—and die properly—then honestly, it would be a mercy," Curze said coolly.
Her dealings with Angron had never been especially deep, but even so, a part of her still hoped that this brother of hers might find release rather than end up as some Chaos god's puppet.
But would things really be that simple?
Curze didn't know. Could Bruce work a miracle here?
Shame about the World Eaters, though. For all their madness, they were still a trained Legion.
"I've also heard that the Word Bearers' Primarch has been in talks with the World Eaters," Selyas continued. "Apparently the Word Bearers claim to have a treatment for the Nails."
"What? They're already meeting in private?" Curze asked sharply.
"Just in the last few days. I'll need more time if you want full details."
"Good. If you get anything else on them, report to me immediately."
So that was it.
Curze had expected Lorgar might one day use the promise of curing the Butcher's Nails to drag Angron down with him.
What she had not expected was for it to happen this quickly.
Which meant Horus's Istvaan plan could be kicked straight into a sewer for the time being.
"Understood. I'll withdraw for now." Selyas saluted.
Curze gave her a short nod.
At that same moment, Bruce finished connecting with Horus.
The overworked Warmaster, after hearing how serious the situation was, immediately cut off her negotiations with the Terran Council and switched over to Bruce's line instead.
That pile of rotten dogshit from Terra only knew how to press her about the pace of the Great Crusade. What exactly were they barking about? The Emperor Himself hadn't said a word yet—when had it become their turn?
Horus, however, also brought Bruce a piece of good news.
According to the forward elements of Lion's fleet, they had found some kind of ancient relic—apparently tied to a species called the Old Ones. It was already being shipped back to Terra at top speed.
The moment Bruce heard that, he nearly teared up.
He had only mentioned it casually once, and Horus had actually remembered.
At that point, what else could he say?
Long live the Warmaster.
"Wait—what? Guilliman is secretly fostering a private faith under the Emperor's nose?" Horus slammed a fist down the moment she heard the full report from Selyas. "I knew it. I knew that bastard's ambitions stretched far beyond the Five Hundred Worlds."
He was already violating the Imperial Truth and encouraging worship of himself. What was the next step? Horus didn't even want to imagine it.
When the Emperor had ordered him to destroy the Perfect City, had Guilliman learned absolutely nothing? Had he just looked at the whole affair and thought, So this is how wonderful faith can be?
This wasn't "ambitious" anymore.
This needed to be crushed.
"You're only focusing on that?" Curze said, sounding completely unable to comprehend her sister's priorities. "Has it occurred to you that someone else may be behind this? As far as I know Guilliman, he's not the type to cultivate personal worship across his own territory."
"What we ought to care about is the fact that some foul thing is trying to use Ultramar for something. We should warn him first, shouldn't we?"
"Given the intelligence you've supplied, and how far that faith has spread, yes, someone is definitely pushing it along," Horus said. "But I refuse to believe Guilliman has done nothing."
"Then ask him," Curze replied. "A direct question isn't difficult."
"…Fine." Horus gave in. "I'll find time to speak with Guilliman. While I'm at it, I'll deal with the World Eaters issue too."
The thought of Guilliman actually being corrupted sent a chill through her.
If he fell, then the Imperium would be looking at an internal war on a scale beyond anything yet imagined. The Five Hundred Worlds were simply too much power in one place.
"New recruit. Tell her what you know. Briefly," Curze ordered.
"Right."
Bruce took a breath and began laying out what he knew about Leviathan.
Leviathan was a godlike being from a world called Wuthering Waves. Its authorities were Fusion and the Sea. Its personal combat strength wasn't all that exceptional—but it was exceptionally good at feeding on humanity's negative emotions and on faith, growing stronger as it did so.
To put it simply, it was more like a virus.
The main body might not be impressive, but it could parasitize a host, draw nourishment from them, expand, eventually devour the host, and then repeat the cycle again and again.
"So what you're saying," Horus said slowly, "is that this thing is using Ultramar's faith in Guilliman to empower itself? It plans to slowly consume the entire Five Hundred Worlds? To end a civilization?"
"Yes." Bruce nodded. "Even if the process is slow, given enough time, it could become something monstrous."
He wasn't exaggerating.
This wasn't "talking up the enemy" for effect. He was judging Leviathan based on the setting he knew.
Of course, there was always the chance that crossover rules would weaken it in this universe.
Still, for something like this, it was always better to assume the worst.
"But if it wants to be born properly and destroy a civilization, it needs a vessel, correct?" Curze pressed. "Our world doesn't have anything like the Black Tide. Its power can't possibly be as overwhelming as the version you know. At best it could probably only ruin one or two sectors."
"That's right." Bruce nodded again. "And we don't have Resonators here either. So actually, I'm not that worried it can do catastrophic damage to Ultramar itself. What worries me is its ability to use faith to subtly twist mortal minds."
"And there's an even uglier possibility."
He hesitated.
"I'm worried one of the Chaos gods sent it here to stir trouble."
The moment Bruce thought of a certain blue bird, he felt more and more strongly that the whole thing had that familiar stench all over it.
"If that were the case," Horus said, "then why not send it to the Word Bearers? Wouldn't that environment suit it far better?"
And she had a point.
If Leviathan fed on faith, then where in the Imperium would be a better feeding ground than the Word Bearers?
Choosing Ultramar over them made no sense.
Guilliman was one of the strongest defenders of the Imperial Truth alive. No religion was tolerated in the Five Hundred Worlds. That was the biggest difference between him and Lorgar.
Lorgar turned conquered worlds into religious states.
Guilliman turned them into useful worlds.
Both were empire-builders, but Guilliman's method was obviously the more effective of the two.
"Exactly. That's why I'm saying maybe I'm overthinking it," Bruce admitted. "We should probably wait for more intelligence from Selyas before we decide."
"I'll test Guilliman's attitude myself," Horus said. "Or just warn him outright."
"New recruit," Curze said lazily, "given the present situation, what do you suggest? Anything."
"Oh, I've got one." Bruce didn't even hesitate. "Since Lorgar is practically showing half his hand already, we move the Istvaan plan forward."
"Summon the Word Bearers and the World Eaters to Istvaan first. If they refuse, then obviously they've got a problem. And if they show up…"
He bared his teeth.
"…then what's left to discuss? We beat the hell out of them."
"That same move only works once," Horus warned. "And if we do it this early, it could easily trigger misunderstandings with the other Legions. Are you sure?"
"Well, we can't just do nothing, can we?" Bruce spread his hands. Then a new idea struck him. "Or—better. Do this in two stages."
"Horus, first test Guilliman. See what his attitude is toward the faith in Ultramar. See whether he genuinely tries to root it out, or only says he will while doing nothing."
"Then split the next step depending on what he chooses."
"If Guilliman cooperates with us, destroys the faith in his territory, and agrees to investigate the Word Bearers, then he stays our ally."
"If Guilliman refuses to cooperate—or shows obvious signs of contamination—then we let the dogs loose."
"The dogs…?"
Horus froze for a second.
Then she understood.
And immediately started sweating.
Bruce, you evil little bastard.
"Why not make use of waste?" Bruce said shamelessly. "The World Eaters need to be dealt with anyway, so why not use them to cause trouble for the Ultramarines?"
That way, the World Eaters would be weakened, Ultramar would be weakened, and if Lorgar got dragged in as well, all the better.
A bright future for everyone.
A win-win-win.
"Hold on." Horus looked genuinely pained now. "If I give the World Eaters an order to attack Ultramar, then doesn't that make me the one starting a civil war?"
"Have you thought about me at all?"
If conditions had allowed it, she honestly felt like grabbing Bruce by the collar, slamming him into a wall, and snarling, Do you have any idea how selfish that sounds?
"But it buys time," Bruce said stubbornly. "And while they're fighting, we can explain things to whoever comes running. They'll understand."
"And besides, Angron doesn't care about the Imperium. He will obey your orders. I'd call that a good thing."
If you want everything, you end up with nothing. That was just how it worked. There always had to be some sacrifice, some compromise.
"So it still comes down to Guilliman's choice," Curze said, giving Horus a look that practically said you know I'm right.
"I'll handle it…" Horus said after a long silence.
Then she added quietly,
"But I hope Guilliman is still on our side."
Because if he wasn't, then he and his Five Hundred Worlds might be enough to destroy everything the Imperium had built—and turn the future into something even worse than the one Magnus had once foreseen.
She clicked her tongue.
Really, what had Father been thinking, allowing that man to build his own little empire in the first place?
"Oh, and I've got one more idea." Bruce suddenly perked up again. "Something that weakens the Ultramarines and makes the Word Bearers lose their minds."
"…What?" Horus's ears practically stood straight up.
After all the ways Bruce had already tried to use her prestige and authority as part of his planning, she was starting to suspect there was always another layer with him.
"Use the extermination of some xenos civilization as a pretext and order the Ultramarines and Word Bearers to conduct a joint operation," Bruce said with a vicious grin. "I refuse to believe the Word Bearers can keep their composure through that."
"And at the same time, we continue our preparations in parallel. I refuse to believe Lorgar would dare refuse the order outright."
Accept it, and he has to swallow his hatred over the Perfect City incident and pretend to cooperate.
Refuse it, and they get to investigate him openly.
Come on, then.
A contest played within the rules.
Let's see who cracks first.
"New recruit…" Curze sipped her tea and sighed. "You handle things so viciously. Do you get something out of this, or what?"
"You tell me whether it works or not."
"Oh, it's excellent," Horus said at once, thoroughly delighted.
Because if it worked, then they would finally be able to test what exactly the relationship between Lorgar and Guilliman really was.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 155)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter200)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter110)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter230)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 200
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 180
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 230
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 220
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 120
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 135
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 110
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 100
My Harem Is Indescribable 90
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 95
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 80
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 70
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 75
Checking In in Demon Slayer 80
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 85
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 70
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 65
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 70
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 70
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 65
Why did they assign me to Uma 65
MYGO Beauties 65
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 55
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 65
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 45
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 45
The Uma Musume Who Became 40
I'm Definitely Not the King of 45
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin