A member of the Sanguinary Guard who had boarded the Vengeful Spirit alongside Sanguinius himself. This was a figure from the level of the Chapter's own ancestors.
Upon hearing these words, the entire chapel was stunned. They had no idea such an ancient being from their lineage still existed. They also knew that Seth would not lie about this.
To make up such a story would be blasphemy. So, with Dante's command, the entire Monastery-Fortress of Baal mobilized.
The potions were quickly distributed to the various chapters, who would use them to awaken their brothers lost to the Red Thirst and the Black Rage.
Although the stuff was disgusting, everyone, including Dante, had to admit that it was incredibly effective.
Furthermore, a single thought now dominated their minds: the Elder must be protected, no matter the cost.
The potion might be abstract and screwed-up, but its effects were undeniably good. It was an instant cure. Now, they had to go back and prepare it for their other battle-brothers.
As for the Flesh Tearers, they now had an even more important task: dealing with all the feast food. From Dante down to the newest recruits of the successor chapters, no one had any appetite left.
They would all make do with a ration of nutrient paste or something similar before mustering to support the Underworld system.
So, the Flesh Tearers were left to eat the food. Baal was truly poor; these provisions were not cheap, and letting them go to waste was not an option.
The forces of Baal began to gather. They would pay any price to retrieve the Elder. Even if they all died, as long as the Elder survived, the Blood Angels could rise again in the galaxy, just as the Space Wolves had with Bjorn the Fell-Handed.
For a Chapter, such an ancient Elder was simply too important.
---o---
While all of Baal was preparing for war, due to the time dilation, every day of their actions was equivalent to roughly a year in the outside galaxy.
The original Battle of Baal, from the start of the fighting in the Underworld system to the Devastation of Baal and the Regent's eventual arrival, had only taken about four months. Yet in the outside galaxy, the entire Indomitus Crusade had already concluded.
So, while Zhou Ye was keeping the matter of supporting the Dark Imperium in mind, he wasn't in a particular hurry. This time, he would be facing an overwhelming swarm. Even if it was just a tendril of a splinter fleet, their numbers were still terrifying.
As for the main Tyranid Hive Fleet, Zhou Ye still held to his opinion: just look at the map. The drawing made it seem like their swarm was larger than the galaxy itself, but that had to do with the composition of the image, just like with humanity's Golden Age.
Therefore, Zhou Ye intended to be fully prepared. A large number of troops were being mobilized. And due to his new cooperation with Guilliman, Ultramar would provide him with a massive amount of resources.
The Realm of Ultramar was actually very wealthy, far richer than Zhou Ye's own little corner of space.
After all, Ultramar consisted of five hundred worlds. Although it was unknown how many remained now, it was similar to how Zhou Ye's fifty worlds radiated influence over a thousand.
Coupled with Ultramar's ten-thousand-year-old foundation, Zhou Ye was just a poor country bumpkin in comparison.
The reason they seemed less prosperous than Zhou Ye was mainly due to their terrible logistics. Even in the crazier world of Star Rail, the Star Rails were the most important means of transportation. In this universe, their value was even greater.
The Emperor would have an orgasm if he saw it. Even Guilliman had cast aside his reason; anyone who dared to obstruct the Star Rails would face the primal wrath of a Primarch.
Although the ships on Macragge had not yet been fully refitted, Zhou Ye had already dispatched a portion of his fleet and several Strike Cruisers to help them start laying the tracks.
The power of the Ultramar sector was now being preliminarily mobilized. But even this initial mobilization resulted in a flood of materials that nearly drowned Zhou Ye. Guilliman was being very generous.
The problem plaguing the Imperium was never a lack of resources, but a transportation network that was beyond abysmal.
For example, hive city dwellers could only eat various nutrient bars, fundamentally because those bars were extremely easy to store and transport. No one could predict what would happen after entering the warp.
A few years drifting inside could be just a few days in the outside world. Fresh fruits and vegetables simply couldn't be preserved. Of course, things like stasis fields existed, but again, stasis fields had costs. They were expensive to use. It had the same beautiful absurdity as transporting grain by airplane—no one would do it except in an emergency.
This was why Zhou Ye's worlds could provide large quantities of fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat, and rarely used nutrient bars. The transport was just too convenient. No one ate that stuff; it was all sold off to the beasts of burden and grunts of the greater Imperium.
The main reason was the Star Rail jump. Even to Macragge, tens of thousands of light-years away, it took only a few minutes. And to corrupt this Star Rail, one would have to launch a massive Chaos incursion on either Trailblaze or Macragge itself.
Chaos could corrupt Trailblaze and Macragge, but the chances of Chaos actually corrupting Trailblaze and Macragge were next to impossible.
With this, Zhou Ye's second forge world could go into full production. This time, he was going to ramp up his output before heading into Imperium Nihilus.
---o---
And so, on Macragge…
"Why do I feel like something's not right? What is it?"
Sitting on a parade float, Zhou Ye frowned in thought. He had reverted to his four-meter-tall giant form.
He had tried using his original body, but the only response he got was:
Such powerful and exquisite psychic energy!!!
So now he had given up trying to correct them. A Primarch is a Primarch. He had explained it many times. He had even called the Emperor "Golden Fiend" right in front of Guilliman and Curze, and neither of them had reacted.
But today…
"For the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar!!!"
"For the Forty-Nine Worlds of the Trailblaze Sector!!!"
"…"
The area around Zhou Ye was swarming with people. A parade of floats, with petals paving the road.
On one side of the float marched the Ultramarines Ever-Victorious Army, clad in blue and gold armor. This unit had been re-established after Guilliman's return, and all its members had now completed the Primaris surgery and been outfitted with Mark X power armor. On the other side was Zhou Ye's Honor Guard, even more opulently equipped with full suits of artificer armor. As for Curze…
Honestly, it was a miracle Guilliman hadn't chopped him to bits. A place in the Primarchs' honor guard was out of the question. It was only thanks to the fact that ten thousand years had passed and everyone from that era, besides Guilliman, was dead.
Otherwise, his appearance alone would likely have caused a panic. And Curze had enough self-awareness not to show up at a time like this.
But even so…
Guilliman was holding Zhou Ye's hand high, cheering to the crowd. Besides their two honor guards, there was a large contingent of other Space Marines, including the Iron Hands, Dark Angels, Space Wolves, and Blood Angels.
Of course, these "Blood Angels" were actually the Lamenters. Upon seeing them, Guilliman had, on a whim, requested they don the armor of the Blood Angels. There weren't many of them, only about a dozen or so.
Zhou Ye trusted their loyalty and strength, but he did not trust their luck. He had forcibly forbidden them from all being deployed at once, requiring a portion to remain behind. There were now about a hundred Lamenters, including new recruits, on Trailblaze. Half of them had been brought out to pad the numbers.
Looking at the applauding Ultramarines, Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves, and his own Trailblaze forces, Zhou Ye suddenly realized something.
Isn't this the exact scene from when Guilliman and Sanguinius founded the Second Imperium? After all this time, you're still hung up on your damn broken Second Imperium!
He was speechless, but he remained dutifully seated on the float, looking at the cheering crowds with a lifeless expression. Macragge had just endured a brutal war.
This time, the conflict had exploded in the core of Macragge, with two Fallen Primarchs intervening. Although Zhou Ye had stopped them, the aftershocks of the battle and the subsequent cleanup had resulted in the deaths of at least tens of millions of people. Half of those tens of millions had been executed.
Those with superficial corruption could be dealt with, but some, after witnessing Fulgrim and Angron, had plunged directly into the abyss of corruption. There was nothing anyone could do for such people. Not even Zhou Ye's Imaginary wash could help them.
Just as the Chaos Gods' attempts to corrupt Zhou Ye's people always turned them into Chaos Spawn, when Zhou Ye tried to wash them, the final result was complete annihilation.
So, they had to be executed, and their bodies incinerated.
Ultramar now needed a parade to boost morale. And Zhou Ye, having received so much from them, couldn't find a way to refuse. This was just the initial transfer of resources from Guilliman; there was much more to come.
So he could only show up and play his part. At least there was no Fulgrim to spoil the party this time. That guy was most likely still respawning in the warp, and even if Slaanesh manually revived him, he wouldn't dare act arrogantly in front of Zhou Ye. As for the Governor of Macragge he had corrupted, he had already been executed by the Word Bearers.
Incidentally, the execution of that governor had caused quite a stir. Once the evidence was conclusive, his entire family had been purged.
"Praise the Emperor! This is a sacred moment! After ten thousand years, the great gods have walked out of myth! They walk among mortals once more! This is the salvation of humanity and the Imperium!"
On the lead float, a Word Bearer was shouting to the crowd. This was one of the three original unlucky souls who had first joined Zhou Ye. After a massive free-for-all among them, the winner had provided the gene-seed to be placed in a Dreadnought.
The other two were responsible for establishing the Word Bearers company. Although that company had quickly developed an abstract style, these two sons of Ultramar remained loyal Ecclesiarchy believers who followed their gene-father's Lectitio Divinitatus.
Now they were giving a speech during the parade. It was a necessary evil. It was all corruption, anyway. Clearly, the Emperor's corruption was the better option, as the Emperor wouldn't actually do anything to you.
"…"
Watching the Word Bearer from Macragge, Guilliman fell silent. He suddenly missed the Word Bearers from Trailblaze. Wouldn't it have been better to let them give the speech?
But this man was, after all, the leader of those Word Bearers. He had to be the one. The other Word Bearers were responsible for scattering flowers along the route, and all the faithful believers knelt piously on the ground.
Zhou Ye felt his cringe-o-meter about to explode. He was now cringing so hard he could carve a four-bedroom, three-hall apartment out with his toes.
If they had been standing at attention like in a proper military parade, he wouldn't have felt this way. But this kowtowing was just too much to bear.
"What were people like in ancient Terra?" Guilliman asked, a little curious, seeing Zhou Ye's strained expression.
"Although there were many who followed various religions, in public, especially on an occasion like this, everyone would stand tall with their chests out."
Zhou Ye didn't hide anything and answered directly.
"Ancient Terra…"
Guilliman fell silent, then seemed to remember something and asked curiously:
"What do you believe in?"
"Nothing. To me, religions are just very interesting cultures. Oh, but if I had to say, I guess I believe in some form of Daoism."
"Ah, what is that? Of course, if Magnus were here, he would probably love to discuss it with you."
"Just one sentence…"
"Hmm?"
"I'm already dead. If you need something, burn some joss paper!!!"
Looking at the Space Marines, Macragge Auxilia, and Trailblaze Auxilia kneeling before him for inspection, Zhou Ye said with a lifeless expression. The only comfort was that they were kneeling on one knee, not fully kowtowing.
Incidentally, he had also stopped his twin-bladed Emperor Titan from kneeling to him. If that thing knelt, it would be a huge spectacle.
What he didn't know was…
"Hahaha! See that? I get to be inspected and blessed by the great Master, while all of you can only watch from space!!!"
In the communication channel of the Emperor Titan's AI—no, its Machine Spirit—a booming laugh echoed.
This Emperor Titan was taunting all the other Titans, whether they were Emperor-class or Warlord-class.
"NO!!!"
As the triumphant laughter spread, cries of anguish erupted throughout the channel.
"Waaaaah! I fought for the Lord on Aestia! I fought for the Lord on the space hulk! I fought for the Lord against the Khornate army! I was here first! Why? Why? Why!!!"
"Titan-01, your mission is to guard Trailblaze."
Just then, the voice of a clearly strained Prometheus chimed in on the channel.
---o---