Chapter 76: Pilgrimage to Lorgar
Six months later, the Word Bearers conquered the ancient human world that had lost contact with Terra and annihilated it.
Three years later
In the northern reaches of the Milky Way, even further north than the Calesis Sector, a gigantic, rotating spatial rift shaped like a giant eye was imprinted upon the starry sky; this was the legendary Eye of Terror.
Within the star field shrouded by the Great Eye of Terror, on a warship in a star system, Lorgar, along with Erebus, Kor Phaeron, and numerous Word Bearer warriors, arrived. They carried scepters and their heads were covered in sacred scripture.
On the bridge, Lorgar gazed at the Eye of Terror with a pilgrim's heart, yearning for the Way.
"This is the entrance to the True Heaven, the source of primordial truth!"
Beside him, Erebus nodded excitedly. "That's right! Countless religions throughout the galaxy vaguely point to this hidden source. The primordial truth truly exists, and from here we can enter the True Heaven!"
"Praise be to the highest heavens, for the primordial God is the true deity, and worthy of our faith!"
Kor Phaeron was also awed as he gazed at the Eye of Terror. He never imagined that gods truly existed.
What would the gods in the True Heavens be like? Thinking of this, Kor Phaeron became humble and solemn.
After experiencing the events of Monarchia several years ago, Lorgar, Erebus, and Kor Phaeron had abandoned their faith in the Emperor and found a more sublime faith.
Lorgar felt a little uneasy as he decided whether to enter the True Heaven, like a child entering the temple for the first time.
He then asked, "I never imagined that the Alpha Legion had conquered the Calesis Sector, especially considering they were so close to the True Heavens back then...!"
Seeing his doubt, Erebus immediately dispelled it, "Lord Lorgar, you are the chosen one. The Alpha Legion hasn't even had its Primarch return. How can they compare to you? The True Heavens have been waiting for our arrival!"
Lorgar, certain that the gods of the True Heavens chose him, said with a joyful expression,
"You're right. I've finally found true faith!"
"Let's make ourselves pure and properly attired, lest we bring our filth into the True Heavens. Our pilgrimage begins!"
An hour later, everyone in the fleet had washed and bathed, looking as clean and renewed as babes. With the most devout hearts, the entire fleet entered the Eye of Terror and arrived at the True Heaven that Lorgar had spoken of, where they met the true Gods.
Despite the expeditionary forces' continuous territorial expansion, the enormous logistical costs and wartime personnel losses caused serious problems for the Imperium.
Even the first human planets to submit to Terra experienced rebellion, namely the Zaramund Rebellion.
Zaramund was a technologically advanced planet and a transit star system in the region, possessing factories capable of forging space warships. It had been one of the first planets to pledge allegiance to the Emperor.
In the 970th year of the 30th Millennium, it betrayed its loyalty to the Imperium.
The planet's rebellious forces were formidable. Led by Horus Lupercal, the Death Guard under First Captain Calas Typhon, and the Dark Angels under Luther, the three forces swiftly and decisively conquered the planet.
Horus quelled the Zaramund Rebellion swiftly and efficiently. Zaramund held an essential place in Imperial history.
Horus's outstanding leadership and command skills made his name resound throughout Terra once again during this war, and he lived up to the Emperor's high expectations, achieving victory.
Inside a flagship over twenty kilometers long in space, in a secret conference room, a single lamp illuminated the scene where Alpharius and Omega sat facing each other across a table.
Alpharius calmly analyzed, "Horus's reputation has soared even higher since the Battle of Zaramund. His chances of becoming Warmaster in the future are virtually certain. No one else has a chance."
Omega immediately understood what this meant.
Clearly, someone on Terra was promoting Horus; otherwise, they wouldn't be giving him this much publicity after merely pacifying a planet.
Lion El'Jonson and Luther had a long-standing feud stemming from the Rangdan War, which led the Knights of Caliban to harbor resentment toward Lion El'Jonson. The two were still at odds, and Lion's strength and reputation were insufficient to qualify him as Warmaster.
The Monarchia incident tarnished Guilliman's reputation, and despite his formidable military strength, he was no longer fit to serve as Warmaster.
Although Sanguinius had achieved remarkable victories, Horus had demonstrated the ability to lead other legions in this battle, a talent that Sanguinius did not possess.
The Primarch of the Eighth Legion, Konrad Curze, was a highly decorated war hero, conquering many planets with minimal losses, and was therefore a candidate for Warmaster.
However, like Sanguinius, Curze did not demonstrate the ability to lead other legions cooperatively.
"Horus really knows how to satisfy the Emperor's needs. He actually managed to surpass Sanguinius and Curze by leading other legions in coordination."
Omega knew that Horus had a significant advantage in the competition for the title of Warmaster. Still, unless he could produce an outstanding record, it wouldn't be compelling for the many Primarchs to submit to him.
"Any ideas?" Omega asked.
Alpharius smiled mysteriously.
"It's time to plan our return. Planet Levi is currently in a star system that a nearby Legion is aiming to conquer. This planet is a lost human settlement, perfect for posing as your homeworld."
"Once that Legion's warships have arrived and pacified the area, you should create the illusion of a chance encounter with their commander, then use it to return to Terra and meet the Emperor."
Omega asked strangely, "You...didn't approve of Horus before, so why are you creating the opportunity for me to meet him if you thought he had the potential to become Warmaster?"
Alpharius hmphed, "If we don't return now, are we going to wait until the Emperor leads us to victory in a major campaign before planning our return? That would take decadessss," Alpharius offered a casual excuse.
Omega didn't believe this reason at all. He always felt that the timing of his return was closely related to larger Imperial events, and without giving it much thought, he smiled faintly.
"Whether I return or not makes no difference to me, so I'll just go to Planet Levi and wait for the arrival of the commander."
"Hmm!" Alpharius was surprised that while he was laying out his grand plan, Omega still seemed indifferent to the significance of the return.
Seeing Omega get up to leave, Alpharius thought for a moment and then said,
"The Medias Sector has taken hundreds of millions of criminals and refugees from surrounding sectors over the years. I initially thought you were joking. What were you really thinking?"
Omega's understated reply...
"Of course, it's about increasing the population. Over the years, including with the Imperial Army, we've recruited quite a few soldiers from other star sectors, just as planned."
"Those are criminals and refugees that other star sectors don't want. The Medias Sector isn't a world of punishment. Didn't you say before that it was to share the risks for the Legion?" Alpharius asked, still unable to understand.
"I didn't have those planetary governors punish them either."
"Whatever you want. If things really go wrong, we'll launch a counterinsurgency operation," Alpharius said, sensing that Omega was treating criminals like human beings and not wanting to get bogged down in the details.
Omega ignored Alpharius's helpless expression. Because the Alpha Sector was more developed and well-known in the surrounding star sectors, the civilian spacecraft it sent was very popular.
Other star sectors were happy to send countless criminals and refugees to distant worlds to avoid chaos on their own planets due to resource shortages.
Similarly, many people who were unhappy on their own planets hoped to start a new life in distant star systems and thus boarded civilian transport ships.
The officers on the civilian transport ships proclaimed that the Medias Sector was largely unsettled and in need of large numbers of people to develop it, and many people were willing to seize this opportunity.
Alpharius's words reminded Omega, and the next day, a warship several kilometers long left the fleet and headed to the Medias Sector.
Medias Sector
Medias Forge World
The vast majority of the planet's surface was still pristine land. The framework of a continent-sized foundry was gradually taking shape. Inside a steel fortress, Rex, a mechanical being with four mechanical tentacles, had become the forge master.
Standing beside him was an elderly blacksmith, his entire body meticulously modified with advanced mechanical technology. He wore a mechanical eye and had four mechanical tentacles attached to his body. A servo skull flew beside him, making him a being one tier higher than a Tech Priest.
Rex was constantly dealing with a large number of Forge World engineering projects. He felt overwhelmed by the amount of information, but was full of energy. He glanced at his assistant beside him out of the corner of his eye.
Rex asked as he worked, "Hermo, how are those civilians? Are they still causing trouble?"
Formerly Dr. Hermo, now a blacksmith, replied straightforwardly, "Things have calmed down for now. I still can't understand why the higher-ups are increasing the population of the Medias Sector so much, but the entire sector's population is indeed too small."
"If it weren't for the small number of people, how could I have become the forge master? And you wouldn't have had the opportunity to participate in this great project of building a Forge World."
Rex said with a helpless yet fortunate smile. This was a rare opportunity.
[End of Chapter]
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