To avoid things dragging on and getting worse, Bruce immediately drove his fleet at full speed toward the border worlds of Ultramar as soon as he received support from the three Primarchs.
The Ultramar region really was absurdly full of talent. At least five Primarchs had been hurled into this area by Warp storms, and the lands around Ultramar were even more ridiculous—Curze, Angron, and Guilliman were practically all neighbors.
So back in Bruce's original world, people had always liked to joke online: if Angron and Guilliman had switched places back then, would their fates have turned out differently?
For all that Guilliman was a rationalist, when he really got fired up, he could go off harder than anyone. The only reason he didn't was because his upbringing had simply been too good. Angron, on the other hand, had originally been meant to be the most empathetic of all the Primarchs—if not for the Butcher's Nails.
A truly tragic Primarch, jerked around by GW's invisible hand.
"Report, Acting Commander! The captain of the Second Company of the Sons of Horus has already exited the Warp. They are expected to rendezvous with us in three standard Terran days."
"Good. What about Shalltear's fleet?" Bruce asked with a nod, dragging his thoughts back to the present.
That smiling wolf was moving faster and more reliably than Bruce had expected.
He had assumed Torgaddon would arrive only after the fighting had already begun.
"We are still confirming. The latest transmission was a week ago. Captain Shalltear has already completed fleet assembly and is advancing according to the designated star sector."
"And reinforcements from the other Legions?" Bruce asked again.
This attempt to negotiate with Angron required both civil and military options—and the latter was the foundation of the former. Bruce needed to ensure that his side would hold the upper hand if things turned violent.
When it came to a group fight, the more people the better—especially when the enemy was Angron, a rabid hound who only understood fists.
"At present, only the Raven Guard and the Salamanders have responded. Each is expected to dispatch roughly two companies to assist you. In addition, the Death Guard has explicitly stated that they will answer the Warmaster's summons."
"Oh? That effective?" Bruce immediately felt that this whole thing was basically in the bag.
Five Legions against one. And Angron only had part of his main force with him. Under those circumstances, wasn't it certain they could take him down?
No matter how he looked at it, five Legions against one Legion meant the advantage was clearly his. And Ultramar was prime strategic territory; they even had the benefit of fighting on favorable ground. Against Angron, victory was basically guaranteed.
"What about the Ultramarines? No response from them?" Kirino asked.
If the Ultramarines were added too, it would become six against one. The odds would get even better.
"Nothing direct yet. But one thing is certain: the Ultramarines have already begun shifting forces toward the border worlds. Judging from the pattern of the troop movements, they appear to be adopting a defensive posture."
"Oh? Leaving us on read, huh? Very nice, Guilliman." Bruce opened the star map and studied the tactical projections in full detail.
According to the intelligence Selaris had provided, and the real-time simulations based on it, the Ultramarines had very strangely begun moving troops toward the border worlds—and then simply sat there.
Under normal circumstances, that could have been brushed off as routine redeployment. But now that there was news that Angron might already have gone rogue, that defensive posture was hard not to read into.
"Should we take precautions against Ultramar as well?" Kirino suggested.
"No need. Guilliman's simply worried the fighting will spill into his territory. If the battle really kicks off, he might even come help us. Just leave him be."
"But…"
Bruce thought for a moment, then turned to his communications officer.
"Send this information to the Warmaster. Then dispatch someone to inform the Ultramarines stationed nearby. Tell them the situation plainly: we intend to reason with Angron. If that fails, it becomes war."
"If you choose to help, you can definitely stop him. But if you choose to sit back and watch the tigers fight, whether he snaps and charges into Ultramar afterward… I can't guarantee anything."
There was definitely an element of threat in that, but Bruce felt that since they were technically allies, everything should be made clear up front.
Work had to leave a paper trail.
If he said nothing and Angron ended up charging into Ultramar and slaughtering his way through it, the Ultramarines could still try to shift the blame and say Bruce's operation had dragged their territory into the war.
But if he notified them in advance, then whatever happened next could be shoved right back into their hands.
I told you that mad dog Angron might charge into Ultramar. If you chose not to care, then don't try to pin the consequences on us later. We did our part and tried to stop him.
"Yes, sir! We'll establish contact with the Ultramarines' fleet immediately!"
"Won't telling the Ultramarines the plan so directly be…" Kirino looked at Bruce uneasily.
Wasn't this practically laying all their cards on the table? The whole core of the operation was taking down Angron, and Bruce's message had basically spelled out exactly what they were thinking.
If Guilliman chose not to play nice, he could just turn around and warn Angron while keeping himself hidden. Wouldn't that put all the pressure back on them?
"Relax. Guilliman's a pure political animal. You don't need to worry about our plans leaking. And if they do leak, then all the better—that means Guilliman has ties to the rebels, and we can slap the label on him directly."
"Even if Angron and Guilliman strike some non-aggression arrangement, that's fine too. We can just go fight in Ultramar instead."
Bruce was being completely shameless about it.
I'm telling you this openly because you have to get involved. If you refuse, then whatever happens next is on you.
One little warning like this was enough to test whether Guilliman was connected to Angron and Lorgar. Bruce considered that a bargain. And if it moved the battlefield into Ultramar, even better.
Everyone knew that Ultramar had prospered because war had remained far away from it. Bruce's goal was to smash that advantage apart.
You want to sit in the backline farming and building your little empire while ignoring everything else? No chance.
"Acting Commander! Urgent development! I… I've received an astropathic transmission!"
"Hm? What is it?" Bruce was just about to say something to Kirino when the astropath's alarm cut across the room.
"One moment…"
After a brief pause, the astropath said weakly, sweat beading on her forehead:
"A wide-beam message from the Conqueror's astropaths. They report that Lord Angron has repeatedly ignored the Warmaster's orders and intends to initiate war. No one can stop him anymore."
"If you receive this message, prepare for battle."
Bruce fell silent after hearing it.
That was precisely what he hated about Angron.
If the man wanted to rot, then fine—rot. But there were still many loyal people serving under him, and the one who had sent that astropathic warning probably knew perfectly well what kind of fate awaited them now.
Even facing death, someone had still chosen to cast aside loyalty to their Primarch and offer up their life for the Emperor instead.
"How long until we reach Nuceria? Can we still make it in time?" Bruce asked. Though anxiety was beginning to claw at him, he still forced himself to stay calm.
"Our current speed will put us there several standard Terran hours before the World Eaters' expeditionary fleet. However… our own fleet has not yet fully assembled. We'll likely be at a numerical disadvantage."
"That's fine. The first round isn't meant to be a fight anyway. As long as we can stall him and maybe get a chance to talk to Angron, that's enough."
Being a little faster than Angron counted as good news, at least.
"Can we really stop Lord Angron?" Kirino still found the whole thing hard to believe.
"We won't know unless we try. Besides, I came prepared."
Bruce began rummaging through the little emergency gadgets he had swiped from Doraemon.
Fighting a Primarch head-on? Winning was never happening. But as long as he could stall, that was already victory. So Bruce needed to find a way to improve his chances of survival.
If he couldn't win on raw stats, then he'd make up the difference with gimmicks and mechanics.
"Acting Commander! Another astropathic transmission from the Conqueror!"
"Lord Angron is asking who Bruce Wayne is. How should we respond?" the astropath asked nervously.
Bruce froze mid-rummage and lifted an eyebrow.
What the hell?
How had they managed to name him so precisely and dox him this fast?
And Angron himself was the one asking?
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
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