allendalepharm Chapter 46: If their fate is unknown, then they are dead.
Chapter 46: If their fate is unknown, then they are dead.
The Cyclone Torpedo is already one of the Empire's most infamous weapons. This weapon can cause irreversible damage to the ecosystem by burning the planet's atmosphere, and like the Virus Bomb, it falls into the category of extermination weapons.
But if you ask, is this already the most powerful weapon the empire possesses?
No, there are still experts.
Bipolar Cyclone Torpedo.
Although it is very similar to the Cyclone torpedo in name and manufacturing principle, the Bipolar Cyclone torpedo differs fundamentally from other extinction weapons—
Its goal is not to destroy the ecosystem or cause the extinction of life on the planet.
Rather, it was to destroy the planet.
"Are you insane, Horus?! Or have you just developed dementia?!"
Because the news was so shocking and hard for him to accept, Mortarian didn't come to his senses until Typhon's communication ended, and then he relentlessly questioned Horus.
"I am perfectly lucid, Mortarian."
Horus dropped his "easygoing" expression, his pale face becoming extremely serious and solemn.
"And if you're as clear-headed as I am, brother, you should also know that, for the sake of the bigger picture, we can't afford to waste any more time here for the sake of our next plan."
Then the Warmaster tapped the panel on the table with the Claw of Horus, and a holographic projection of Istvan III appeared in front of them.
"Here are a full 100,000 Astartes warriors, nearly a legion, a Queen of Glory-class battleship as a defensive fortress, and an exceptionally ferocious Emperor-class Titan providing fire support. Even with our numerical superiority and logistical advantage, how long will it take to achieve victory? A year? Three years?"
Horus's words were so persuasive and so clear, completely unlike the muddle-headed look Mortarian had when he entered.
He then manipulated the data panel again, and soon Eastfan III shrank to reveal the entire Eastfan galaxy.
"But we have no time to waste. As you and I both know, we have more important strategic plans at Istfan V."
Then the galaxy map shrank, and now we see the entire Milky Way.
"If our plans to march on Terra are delayed by even a second, it will give Father and the other stubborn brothers more time to prepare, and it will make this war larger and more costly! Mortarian, you have always been good at calculations, you should know these things better than I do."
Motalian gritted his teeth, then reluctantly revealed his prepared plan.
"I can rescue Angron first, and then have him lead the World Eaters as the spearhead to tear through their defenses—"
"Angron is dead."
Horus interrupted Mortarian decisively, leaving the latter momentarily stunned.
"No, at most we can only say his fate is unknown..."
"If their fate is unknown, then they are dead."
Horus spoke in a cold and ruthless tone.
"He should have been held responsible for his recklessness from the beginning, instead of leaving us to clean up his mess after ruining the established plan. If he can't even deal with his own offspring, then I will mercifully give him the chance to perish together with the enemy—don't worry, I will tell the other World Eaters that he was surrounded and killed by the loyalists on Istvan III, which will spur his offspring to take revenge on the Emperor even more fiercely."
"What are you saying, Horus!"
Even though Mortalian and Angron weren't exactly close on a daily basis, he could still feel the anger burning within him.
"Angron is our brother!!"
"You can try to save him, but my plan will not change."
But all he received was a cold, indifferent reply.
"Don't worry, just like the World Devourer, as the War Commander, I will take good care of your offspring."
For a fleeting moment, Mortarion reached for the Silent Scythe behind him, while Horus placed his hand on the World Eater warhammer beside his chair.
Malohrist's face turned deathly pale. He instinctively backed away, trying to avoid the impending demigod war—
But in the end nothing happened.
Mortarian lowered his hand, then turned and walked away.
"You should have informed me first, not Taifeng, Zhan Shuai."
Horus watched Mortarion's retreating figure, a fleeting struggle flashing in his eyes, but this emotional fluctuation quickly vanished.
"Everything has its reason, and you will eventually understand that, my brother."
-
Horus is finished.
This was the conclusion Mortarion reached as he walked toward the deck of the Vengeful Spirit.
He had expected to be angry, but he found himself feeling only disappointment.
For Horus, and even more so for himself.
What am I doing? My lifelong wish was to overthrow that hypocritical tyrant who abused psionic power, but I never expected that I would follow another monster whose humanity had been erased by the warp.
But this also strengthened Mortarion's long-held belief.
Psychic powers, witchcraft, and everything related to the warp are harmful; getting involved with them will cause people to lose their minds and reason.
Even the war general who once impressed him could not escape this fate.
That is why this revolution should continue.
I will take the lead!
"Sir, shall we set a course to the Endurance?"
After Mortarian boarded his vehicle, the Stormbird's driver asked the usual question.
"No, I want to go to one more place."
Upon hearing the Primarch's unexpected answer, the pilot paused for a moment, then immediately understood and said...
"That's for the End..."
The End is the flagship of the Deathguard's First Company. Due to the close relationship between the Primarch and the First Company Commander, he often goes directly to the End to discuss issues with Typhon.
"No... I won't go there either."
Motalian hesitated for a moment before speaking. Although he was indeed angry when he learned that Tefon had accepted Horus's orders without telling him, he had now found a reason to defend his men.
He probably didn't want me to be torn between Horus and Angron, and wanted to avoid putting me under pressure to order the killing of my brothers.
He is such an overly loyal son, but no matter how he tries to hide it from me, he has still overstepped his bounds.
We need to give it a good talking-to, but not now.
For Mortalian, he didn't want to break ties with Horus, but he also wouldn't stand idly by and watch Horus take control of the situation and lead all his fellow revolutionaries into the abyss of depravity.
Moreover, after realizing that he could not rely on Horus, Angron and his legions also had value in winning him over.
"To the Conqueror."
Mortarian narrowed his eyes and began to use numerology to calculate future developments.
"I have a message for Kahn, the commander of the Eighth Company of the World Eaters."
-
The Great Tyrant, Strategic Command Center.
"I just went to the communications room and had a brief chat with Kahn. He said that Horus was going to use the Bipolar Cyclone torpedo to destroy the Istvan III, and that Kahn wanted to cooperate with us to rescue Angron. His words during the call were almost pleading."
Sun Qian glanced at both sides of the conference table. In addition to Acton, Greer, Sindeman, and Qile standing next to Sun Qian, there were also three others, Loken, Torgarton, and Taviz, who were still wearing bandages.
Although the atmosphere between them was somewhat awkward, especially since Greer made no attempt to hide his hostility toward the three representatives of the loyalist fighters, they still had no objection to Sun Qian's command.
"How about we discuss it?"
Faced with news that literally meant the world was about to collapse and be destroyed, Sun Qian showed no panic whatsoever.
On the contrary, it seems there's some anticipation.
"How can we seize this opportunity to escape the Istefan system?"