Almost every Legion had its own warrior lodges, and the Sixteenth Legion was no exception. They were organizations built to rapidly tighten the bonds between Astartes.
The Sons of Horus had used the lodges to unite, to grow, and to become an unstoppable Legion that never knew defeat.
But now, a small change had come to the Sons of Horus.
The Sons of Horus were about to adopt an Inner Circle system.
The purpose of the Inner Circle was to guard the Legion's secrets and defend them. When necessary, its members would even sacrifice themselves to preserve those secrets and the Legion's honor.
Culture from the First Legion was spreading in a way no one had expected, and it was exactly what Horus and the Sons of Horus needed.
What was a Legion without secrets?
Exactly.
This was the First Legion's superiority at work.
No wonder the First Legion and the Lion were so far ahead of everyone else.
And on this subject, the Lion held nothing back. She taught Horus and the Mournival everything she knew about the Inner Circle traditions of the First Legion.
As long as they could conceal the fact that Horus had turned into a little bunny girl, they were willing to pay any price.
Even if that price was the Legion itself.
Because under no circumstances could this reach Holy Terra—especially the Emperor. Otherwise, the Sixteenth Legion might well face the same fate as the two Legions that had already been erased from history.
While the Lion was instructing Horus and the Sixteenth Legion on how to build an Inner Circle culture, Bruce—one of the witnesses to the secret—quietly slipped away with Warfarin and Alfred and returned to the Remilia.
Then he took out the Visual Telephone again and established a connection with Curze, far away on Nostramo.
After reporting everything that had happened aboard the Vengeful Spirit to his Primarch, Bruce finally let out a long breath. The mission was, for the moment, over. He leaned back in his chair with a blissful expression, and beside him Warfarin wore the exact same look.
At last...
They could rest a little.
Or rather, survive a little longer.
"Well done, Bruce. As expected of the recruit I took a liking to." Curze smiled, clearly pleased after hearing the report. "That means we now hold the secrets of two Legions in our hands."
"Especially Horus. She's the Imperial Warmaster. I can use that secret to pressure her—make her turn a blind eye to what we do next."
"Hm?" Bruce frowned slightly at that.
Secret? Pressure? What "what we do next"?
"What's with that expression? Bruce, don't tell me you really carried out this operation because you sincerely wanted to save Horus."
"…Wasn't that the point?" Bruce had genuinely never looked at it from that angle.
"Oh, that's why you're still a recruit." Curze looked at him with the indulgent expression one reserved for a hopelessly naive child.
Then she sighed.
"You have to remember this: relations between Legions are, at their core, an exchange of interests. There may be brotherhood between us, but that kind of feeling can never be allowed to guide the Legion."
"There's only so much cake. If you eat more, someone else gets less."
"If we want to rebuild and revive the Eighth Legion, then we need secrets like this. Just as we once used such secrets to coerce xenos and abhumans, now we'll simply use one against an Imperial Warmaster."
"Then… what are you planning to do?" Bruce thought it over for a moment and found he could understand what Curze was saying.
So in a way, I've become the thread linking three Legions together.
"That can wait. A secret—especially the secret of a mistake—has to be stored away like fine wine. Let it age. Only bring it out when the time is right, and then savor it properly," Curze said meaningfully.
"But… Horus is planning to return to Holy Terra in person and confess everything to the Emperor," Bruce said, offering an important piece of intelligence.
The Inner Circle system might be able to contain the problem of Horus's current condition for a while, but not forever. Which was why Horus had already decided to face the Emperor personally and explain everything.
That way, even if she was erased for it, the rest of the Sons of Horus might still survive.
One person's mistake, one person's responsibility.
"That doesn't matter. Either way, Horus will owe me—and the Eighth Legion—this debt forever. We only need to call it in when the time comes." Curze waved it off.
"Oh, and one more thing: if the Sixteenth Legion needs improved power armor production lines or more gadgets later, remember to tell them to come to Nostramo. From that point on, it becomes business—not a favor."
"Of course…"
"The choice is yours. You're the acting Legion Master, after all."
"I understand." Bruce nodded. He knew exactly what that meant.
Emotionally and practically, it was time to start charging. Or rather, they should have been charging already.
The optimized power armor production line they'd handed to the Lion had been an investment, and given the returns so far, it had been worth it. But if they kept handing out favors for free from here on, the Eighth Legion would take a serious loss.
Even Doraemon had said that something like that took him a full month to build. And what did it produce? An Astartes who could drink transformation fluid, wear power armor, and still retain full combat capability.
"Honestly, I don't believe my foolish brother will really go confess to Father. She knows better than anyone what kind of man Father is."
"Even if she's special to him, she won't be able to get past that line herself."
"The two Legions that were erased are still fresh in my memory."
"Then… aren't you afraid of being erased too?" Bruce asked carefully.
"No. Because we were born guilty. Death would only be another form of release. Recruit—if that day ever comes, the Legion will truly be yours."
"Of course, letting my foolish brother test the waters first isn't a bad thing either. If Father truly doesn't mind… then all the better."
From Curze's perspective, Horus being saved and turned into a woman was absolutely in her favor.
The Sixteenth Legion now owed her a debt. More importantly, Horus's case would allow her to test the Emperor's intentions.
If the Emperor accepted it, wonderful.
If the Emperor chose erasure, that was fine too.
At worst—
There would be rebellion.
And I will save mankind in my own way.
You will not decide my fate for me, Father.
Never underestimate me.
"In any case, you did well, my good child." Curze looked at Bruce with deep satisfaction. "When you return, I'll reward you."
She cherished this child who had been running himself ragged for the Legion. Honestly, she was starting to think that even if the Legion disappeared, as long as Bruce remained, it wouldn't matter.
But if Bruce vanished…
Then no amount of rebuilding the Eighth Legion would mean a thing.
"That said…"
"You've got plans of your own too, don't you?" Curze saw straight through his hesitation.
She wasn't surprised by it. On the contrary, she thought that was exactly what made Bruce the Bruce she had taken a liking to.
If this kid didn't get fired up and charge ahead recklessly, would he still be Bruce?
"I think saving Horus isn't really the end. If we truly want to prevent the Heresy, there are other things we still have to do."
"For example?"
"Eliminate the Word Bearers. Stop Magnus. Only then can this really be called finished."
"And you think you and the Remilia can manage that?" Curze approved of Bruce, but even she thought the idea sounded absurd.
"We can try. Besides, we've still got help from the First Legion and the Sixteenth. They won't just sit back and watch."
"Then go ahead and do it. Nostramo and the Eighth Legion will always be behind you. If you run into trouble, come home. Remember this—staying alive matters more than finishing the mission."
"Yes!" Bruce answered firmly.
He understood perfectly well what that promise meant.
In other words: as long as he stayed alive, he could always retreat, drink from the moonwell, heal up, and head back out.
He was not fighting alone.
He had his Primarch behind him.
He had Nostramo behind him.
He had the Eighth Legion behind him.
"But…" Curze looked at him with a mixture of exasperation and bafflement. One hand propped up her cheek, and one foot tapped irritably in the air.
"I'm truly curious. You could just as easily come back, play around with your Wayne Enterprises, and live the life you want. So why do you still insist on going on? Why? You're not even from this world."
"Because…"
Bruce hesitated. Or perhaps struggled. Then he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Well… I've already helped this much. It's not like helping a little more makes that much difference…"
"Tell me the truth." Curze's voice sharpened.
"Uh…"
Bruce froze, then finally said, "I'm human. I don't want to just stand here and watch humanity lose its chance to rise again."
"Even if I don't belong to this world—even if I could just stay a bystander—in the end, I'm still human."
"I want to know what it would look like if humanity actually won this Great Crusade."
"And also…"
"I want to know what kind of ending you would get if we won."
"I don't want you to die."
Curze said nothing. She simply looked at Bruce.
A moment later, the corner of her mouth lifted. She dropped her hand, hopped down from her chair, and planted both hands on her hips.
"All right, then."
"Show me just how far you can go."
Idiot recruit.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
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Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 132)
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 (Chapter140)
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I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter165)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
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Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
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From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 95
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Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 125
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 105
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 62
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 80
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 80
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 62
Uma Musume: I Want All 65
I Can Copy Unique Skills 53
Summoning an Evil God, but the 41
Supernatural Multiverse 45
My Harem Is Indescribable 35
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 46
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