This is the bonus chapter for reaching 200 Powerstones.
--
Tax Bro stood at the edge of the crowd, quietly staring at Paul's back.
It suddenly reminded him of twenty-four years ago, back in that abandoned factory on Aurelian IV.
They had just escaped the absolute hell of the Aru Industrial Zone, scratching together their first, incredibly crude outpost out in the howling sandstorms of the Redblaze Wasteland.
Paul had stood on top of a half-finished watchtower, looking back over his shoulder at them.
"We're going to survive this. And then we're going to bring something completely different to this world."
At the time, Tax Bro thought it was just the usual motivational bullshit.
Twenty-four years later.
He was staring at a fifteen-hundred-foot-tall pyramid that used to be the seat of power for a Xenos tyrant.
He was staring at a literal mountain of Dal royal guard corpses piled up outside the gates.
He was staring at the Dawn Defense Force soldiers hustling back and forth at the foot of that mountain of death.
And he was staring at the Crimson Dawn insignias stamped on their chest plates, gleaming with a deep, crimson luster under the sun.
It suddenly hit him.
Paul never spoke just to hear his own voice.
Every single thing he ever said… had eventually fucking happened.
Tax Bro let out a long breath.
"Alright then. How many people are you planning to take?"
Paul turned around.
"Five hundred Astartes. And every single Assassin unit."
Tax Bro frowned.
"What about things here on Dal?"
"Helovia is staying behind as the acting commander. The main force of the Dawn First Fleet is staying too. I'm only taking the Light of Dawn."
Tax Bro looked over at Helovia.
The woman who had practically governed Aurelian for the last thirteen years didn't show a single hint of disappointment or frustration at being left behind.
She just quietly looked at Paul.
"You have to come back alive."
Paul didn't say anything back.
He simply reached out and gently patted her on her silver head.
It was a subconscious, comforting habit he had picked up twenty-four years ago when she was just a kid.
Twenty-four years had passed.
Helovia was now a genuine Alpha-grade psyker, a terrifying tactical mastermind capable of standing on an orbital bridge and coldly orchestrating the saturated bombardment of an entire planet.
But Paul's habit hadn't changed at all.
He smiled. "I will."
--
Late that night.
At the very top of the Royal Court Pyramid on Planet Dal.
Paul stood entirely alone in front of the massive observation window.
Out in the distance, Dal's single moon was slowly cresting the horizon, washing the blood-soaked plaza below in a pale, silver-white glow.
Footsteps echoed from behind him.
Tax Bro, White Scars, Schrodinger Bro, and Blood Angel.
Four veteran players. Three Chapter Masters.
Paul didn't even turn his head. "I knew you guys were coming."
Tax Bro scratched his head.
His Imperial Fists-painted power armor had already been shipped down to the Tech-Priests for repairs, so he was just wearing standard fatigues.
"We're mostly just... way too curious. That guy Lorgar you mentioned earlier. What exactly is the deal with that?"
Paul didn't answer immediately.
He stared out at the starry sky, staying quiet for a few long seconds.
"We'll talk about it when we get back to Aurelian. First, take a look at your Chapter interface. Shouldn't it be ready for an upgrade?"
Tax Bro blinked.
He instinctively pulled up his system interface.
[Crimson Fists]
Level: Lv. 1 (Experience: 113,200 / 5,000)
[Ready for Upgrade]
Tax Bro: "..."
He glanced over at Schrodinger Bro.
Schrodinger Bro nodded with a completely deadpan expression.
He glanced over at White Scars.
White Scars gave him the exact same deadpan nod.
Tax Bro took a deep breath.
And smashed the upgrade button.
[Congratulations! Your Chapter, the Crimson Fists, has been upgraded to Lv. 4!]
[Chapter Member Capacity: 10,000]
[Lv. 2 Chapter unlocks Chapter Hub: You can now construct various facilities with attribute bonuses.]
[Lv. 3 Chapter unlocks Chapter Facility: Advanced Training Grounds.]
[Lv. 4 Chapter unlocks Chapter Facility: Tech Research Lab.]
Tax Bro stared at the newly unlocked features, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Schrodinger Bro and White Scars had also just bumped the Crimson Spirit and Crimson Wind Chapters up to level four, unlocking the exact same facilities.
Paul slowly turned around and walked out onto the open balcony, leaving his back to them.
"Go talk to the new players. Pull them into your Chapters based on what they actually want to do. Give them resources and help them finish their augmentations as fast as possible. The enemies we're going to face next are going to be stronger than what we fought today. We can't stay hidden forever... Since we plan on changing things... we need the power to actually deal with those changes."
Tax Bro and White Scars exchanged a look and nodded in unison.
Their footsteps slowly faded down the hall.
Paul was left completely alone in front of the observation window.
He looked out into the distance, watching the Dawn Defense Force engineering corps setting up a massive grid of temporary resettlement camps over the ruins of the livestock pens.
Those tens of millions of rescued humans would be properly relocated over the next few months to start entirely new lives...
Except they wouldn't be living under the will of the Dal civilization anymore. They would be living under the protection of Crimson Dawn.
Paul watched those tiny figures moving through the beams of the massive floodlights.
He stayed completely silent for a very long time.
Then, he finally whispered.
"Lorgar. If I wasn't worried about causing a massive disruption in the timeline... I would have loved to hack you to death, you religious fanatic."
He paused.
"Erebus. Kor Phaeron. How did you two manage to coincidentally not be there? And you. Why did you help me gain such terrifying power?"
He stared deeply into the void of space.
Deep inside his dark gold eyes, five distinct stars slowly rotated.
"The power of Hope... Truly a conceptual authority. So just how strong is your actual power?"
--
The Warp. The very edge of the Astronomican. The Hidden Domain.
Lucian sat cross-legged inside the massive luxury mansion he had manifested out of purified emotional energy.
He still looked exactly like a regular guy in his early twenties.
He casually watched the golden holographic screen floating in the void right in front of him.
On the screen, Paul was standing at the observation window on Planet Dal, tossing his question into the empty void.
Lucian chuckled. "Man, I wish I was actually that strong. I'd jump right up, kick the Emperor in the teeth, and use the Four Chaos Gods as seat cushions. It's really just thanks to the physical energy. As for why I helped you out so much... I just like your vibe. That's literally it."
He paused, staring at Paul's back on the glowing screen, entirely silent for a few seconds.
"I went through the same education system you did, you know. I just want to see it too. I want to see if you guys can actually... bring a true dawn to the suffering citizens of the Imperium."
--
[Crimson Zealot] Chris scrolled through the endless flood of chat messages as the players goofed off and celebrated after the grueling twenty-four-hour battle.
He had just walked out of the medical tent.
Corporal Jeremy's remains had been properly prepped and secured, ready to be shipped back to Aurelian.
There would be one more name carved into the Garden of Heroes.
Chris stood completely still outside the medical tent for a very long time.
Then, he opened a private chat.
[Crimson Zealot]: "Tax Bro. I want to join the Chapter."
Tax Bro replied instantly.
[The Emperor's Tax Must Be Paid Even if the World Ends]: "Do you know how to play cards? We need card sharks in the Chapter. Later on, we can swap strategies with the Blood Angels, Iron Warriors, Ultramarines, and Iron Hands."
Chris was genuinely caught off guard.
[Crimson Zealot]: "A little bit."
[The Emperor's Tax Must Be Paid Even if the World Ends]: "Poker? Texas Hold'em? Or the Warhammer card game?"
[Crimson Zealot]: "I know... a little bit of everything."
[The Emperor's Tax Must Be Paid Even if the World Ends]: "Alright. You're in. You fought damn well today, kid. Come find me tomorrow to grab your Imperial Coins. Once we get your physical stats up to par, we'll run you straight through the augmentation process."
Chris stared at the message, completely quiet for a few seconds.
Then, he slowly typed a single word.
[Crimson Zealot]: "Okay."
He closed the private chat and looked up.
The sea of stars glimmered endlessly overhead, looking like countless pairs of eyes watching over the battlefield.
Chris suddenly remembered the absolute last words Corporal Jeremy had spoken to him.
"You guys... have to... keep fighting... for the dawn of humanity..."
He looked down at his own hands, staring at the lasgun still stained with Xenos gore.
"I will," he whispered. "For the dawn of humanity."
--
Next Bonus chapter at 300 Powerstones.