The world of Crixus in Ultramar was a desolate world.
Beyond the city was a dead, scorching Gobi Desert, devoid of any life.
The world of Crixus had no industry, nor any mineral resources.
The only things it possessed were ancient texts and documents that other worlds were unwilling to house.
Knowledge carried a curse, especially when it involved the Warp.
The Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar had always valued history and knowledge.
They would record important information,
Yet they worried that these texts might bring disaster to the innocent.
Choosing some desolate worlds specifically for storing books and documents,
Was an excellent solution.
That way, even if something went wrong, the casualties would not be great.
Crixus was such a world.
It housed a vast number of ancient texts.
Many of these books were categorized as forbidden texts, accessible only to specialists.
"Completing your work is your duty."
"Knowledge carries a curse; do not read, do not think."
"Remain pious, remain focused."
"Do not doubt, do not be confused."
The voice of the Martyr spread through the loudspeakers, constantly echoing in Tobis's ears.
He had been on this world since birth.
At the age of 14, he began working.
Tobis's daily work was to inventory books in designated areas,
Arrange them according to the catalog, and check for any damage.
They were forbidden from reading any books here.
In fact, sometimes, even if they were allowed to look, they wouldn't understand,
Because their knowledge only allowed them to understand catalogs and numbers.
Tobis had always strictly adhered to all rules, never overstepping.
Decades of diligent work had promoted him from a junior inventory clerk to a senior one.
He also knew more than ordinary inventory clerks.
Due to the trust from his superiors, Tobis was responsible for managing the forbidden archives.
The books and texts in this area recorded many dark secrets.
But Tobis was never curious, nor greedy.
He simply completed his work methodically,
Day in and day out for decades, never making a mistake.
As the airship landed on the tarmac, a new batch of books was delivered.
Tobis followed his supervisor's instructions and sent the books to the designated area.
Suddenly, a book fell to the ground.
A gust of wind, from an unknown source, blew the pages open.
It recorded recent events.
The Emperor's Angel, with his heroes, traversed half the galaxy, finally bringing the great Primarch back.
"Lucius the Eternal was dragged to a mutual destruction by the valiant Imperial heroes; this detestable traitor was defeated once again."
The recorded story was very brief; he finished reading it with just a glance.
Tobis's heart trembled. He looked around,
And after confirming no one was present, he hastily picked up the book.
He lowered his head and hurried to the bookshelf area, placing the book in its designated spot according to its number.
"Praise the God-Emperor."
After completing these tasks, Tobis breathed a sigh of relief and silently prayed in his heart.
During lunch, he thought of the story again.
In his monotonous life, stories were a part of his diversion.
He savored the story carefully,
Rejoicing for the Imperial heroes who defeated the evil enemy.
As for who Lucius was, he didn't know, nor did he care.
After finishing his daily work, Tobis returned to his hot and crowded dormitory.
As always, he washed up, prayed,
Then savored the story once more,
Before falling into a deep sleep as usual.
In his dream, he was dragged into a terrifying hell.
In the dream, a hideous monster was slaughtering,
His movements were like a phantom, his swordsmanship extremely skilled.
Living people were dismembered, with only their heads remaining, still screaming.
After the slaughter ended, the monster turned its head and spoke to Tobis.
"I am Lucius."
Tobis was awakened by the nightmare.
Still shaken, he went to the washroom to splash water on his face.
"It's just a nightmare, nothing to be afraid of,"
Tobis muttered to himself.
But as soon as he finished washing his face with cold water and looked up, he saw a twisted, horrifying face.
Startled, he turned to look behind him, but there was nothing.
When he looked in the mirror again, there was also nothing.
"I must be too tired,"
Tobis told himself.
However, in the following days, the situation did not improve at all.
He was repeatedly pulled into nightmares, and the dreams became increasingly real.
That terrifying face also drew closer and closer to Tobis.
It kept repeating that one sentence.
"I am Lucius."
"I am Lucius."
On the sixth day, the face in the nightmare had moved right in front of Tobis,
Repeating the sentence word by word.
"I am Lucius."
Then, the monster transformed into countless twisted, inhuman faces.
Those screaming faces devoured Tobis, completely enveloping him.
The sleeping Tobis screamed, waking up his dormitory mates.
They looked at the wailing Tobis with fear on their faces.
A few kind-hearted roommates tried to help,
But they saw Tobis suddenly open his eyes; his pupils were completely black, like ink, with no white.
He spat out black blood, and strange sounds emanated from within his body.
Those kind-hearted roommates were all scared away.
Amidst sickening tearing sounds, Tobis transformed into strips of skinless flesh.
His originally pink flesh began to turn deep red,
Then from deep red to an unsettling blackish-purple,
And shimmered with an oily sheen like an insect's carapace.
His bones were broken, shattered, and sharpened into horrifying spikes during the transformation.
The others were terrified, screaming and fleeing the dormitory.
Tobis screamed in despair.
His body twisted in the spasms of broken bones.
Amidst wet, sticky sounds, his body completely contorted into a mass of flesh.
New limbs burst forth from the flesh mass, his hands gripping a weapon condensed from blood and shadow.
Lucius was thus reborn, from that poor inventory clerk.
Tobis's despairing face rapidly shriveled and collapsed,
Becoming yet another despairing, screaming face on the Wailing Armor.
Law enforcement personnel quickly arrived.
They were clad in full armor, armed with laser guns and flamethrowers.
"Open fire."
The moment he saw Lucius, the law enforcement officer decisively ordered his subordinates to concentrate their fire.
A volley of dense beams was fired, but Lucius dodged every single one.
Subsequently, a massacre began.
By the time the defending main force arrived, Lucius had vanished, leaving behind only a slaughterhouse of scattered limbs.
While the Krysus enforcement units searched for the killer, the culprit had already escaped the world of Krysus, hidden in the cargo hold of a food transport ship.
Lucius also unexpectedly saw the guy who killed him in a propaganda film about Macragge, not knowing what methods the other party had used to survive.
Thinking of the humiliation the other party had inflicted upon him, Lucius's gaze turned icy cold, revealing a brutal and cruel killing intent.
"I will find you, and I will make you know what despair and pain are."
Lucius secretly swore that he would never let this matter rest, no matter the cost, he would make that person wish they were dead.
At this time, Macragge was holding a grand celebration, and the Warmaster, standing behind the Guide, sneezed.
"What's wrong, a girl is thinking of you?" Tenjiro asked teasingly.
"Isn't it normal for a girl to think of me? After all, I'm handsome and good in bed," the Warmaster shamelessly replied.
"When the Warmaster shows off, the Warp laughs."
"The last Warmaster was thick-skinned enough to take Dionysus's spear, and this Warmaster is no less impressive."
...
The others also started to tease him.
"Stop messing around, the celebration ceremony is about to begin."
"At least you're going through the plot, be serious, or you won't be in the promotional video."
Little Fatty stopped these guys from continuing to fool around.
Just then, a horn sounded, and the grand parade began.
On the wide avenue from the Titan Gate straight to Hera Fortress, troops from various worlds began their parade.
Thousands of war engines, millions of Astra Militarum, and Knight Mechs with various paint schemes, along with magnificent Titans, marched past in order.
Macragge City was deserted, with people gathered at street corners and squares to watch the celebration ceremony.
The cheers of millions converged into praises for Guilliman and Alex, and other Human Empire heroes, deafening and continuous.
On the viewing platform, Alex stood beside Guilliman, responding together to the enthusiastic crowd.
When the parade ended, the Governor of Planet Connaught stepped forward and presented Guilliman with a magnificent golden laurel wreath, meticulously carved from pure gold.
Just as Guilliman, unable to refuse the kind offer, was about to put it on, Alex reached out and stopped him.
"Who can such a trick deceive?"
Alex examined the laurel wreath for a moment, sensing something was wrong.
He looked at the Planet Governor, full of mockery.
Before the celebration, the Players, eager to earn merit, had investigated the power elite led by the Consul General of Macragge's capital.
They were all old Warhammer fans and naturally knew that Fulgrim intended to harm Guilliman during this opportunity.
The Players, each like Sherlock Holmes and Conan possessed, didn't take long to discover evidence of over a dozen powerful figures being corrupted by Slaanesh.
After collecting the evidence, they submitted it to Alex in exchange for rewards.
Woldaes and others acted swiftly, immediately executing those corrupted powerful figures.
Who would have thought that Fulgrim still hadn't given up, extending his hand to the Governor of Planet Connaught.
"I don't understand what you're saying?" the Planet Governor showed a frightened expression.
"Stop pretending," Alex said, "Fulgrim, reveal your true form."
Woldaes stepped forward and grabbed the Planet Governor.
When the exorcism holy seal on his gauntlet touched the other's body, a hissing sound emanated from thin air.
The Planet Governor began to twist and deform, revealing his original appearance.
It was a hideous body, covered in scales, twisted and distorted, like a snake-person.
"Fulgrim, how dare you appear here?"
Guilliman recognized the other party, his face grim.
"I didn't expect to be exposed so easily."
Fulgrim looked at Guilliman and Alex.
"You must be eager for revenge, but unfortunately, this is not my main body, just a fragmented avatar."
"Also, congratulations on returning to the Human Empire you've longed for, Guilliman, but unfortunately..."
Alex sized up Fulgrim and said something completely irrelevant, "I feel like Fulgrim isn't as handsome as Sanguinius??"
Fulgrim, who had been arrogant and thinking of how to tease Guilliman, froze, turning his head to look at Alex.
I, a dignified Demon Primarch, you're not thinking of expelling me, or making threats to show off, you're here commenting on whether I'm handsome or not??
"Truly foolish?" Fulgrim said disdainfully.
Guilliman, realizing he had been provoked, quickly regained his composure.
He understood Alex's true intention: rather than being provoked, it's better to provoke others.
"Fulgrim is indeed not as handsome as Sanguinius, which was acknowledged by all Primarchs back then."
"Even the Emperor praised Sanguinius, saying he was the most handsome man in the Human Empire."
"Bullshit!" Fulgrim shouted, "I am the most handsome of all Primarchs in the entire Human Empire!"
Guilliman calmly looked at Fulgrim, feeling a secret satisfaction in his heart.
It turns out making Fulgrim lose his temper is this simple.
"No matter how much you say, Sanguinius is still the most handsome and most popular."
"Otherwise, why did you go to such lengths to receive blessings? Isn't it just because you're jealous that Sanguinius has wings?"
"So that's how it is," Alex nodded.
"No wonder this guy wants to be someone else's dog, he wants wings after all."
Alex and Guilliman's back-and-forth caused Fulgrim to somewhat break down.
"Is that all you can say? Guilliman, don't forget, in Thessala—"
As Fulgrim, exasperated, was about to retort, Alex seized the opportunity and stabbed the ugly monster with his sword, banishing the other party back to the Warp.
"No!!!"
Fulgrim in the Temple of Ecstasy let out a piercing shriek.
How dare they!
How dare they do this, he hadn't even finished speaking!
Fulgrim had never felt so aggrieved.
He would rather fight Guilliman for three hundred rounds than endure such anger.
"Very good, very good, Roboute Guilliman, and the Father's lackey, you have successfully angered me."
Fulgrim abandoned the soul feast and numerous Slaanesh dancers, walking out of the Temple of Ecstasy.
He would go himself and make those guys pay the price.