Hmmm—
A black-metal pyramid, stacked in jagged tiers, stabbed up through the dust cloud. Every layer shimmered with an eerie green glow.
A structure this colossal was only part of the tomb ship. Then the crescent-shaped hull emerged—like a gigantic metallic island.
It was breathtaking.
"What an astonishing creation.
"If this were on a battlefield, this warship would inflict tremendous damage on an Imperial fleet."
Eden stared at the green-lit behemoth, feeling the pressure it radiated.
It was the Kalozasa Dynasty's Cairn-class Tomb Ship—the Crownless.
As the Crownless broke free of the earth, more green lights blossomed. Vast numbers of tomb ships rose from within mountains and between hive cities.
They climbed into the void.
Before long, the entire Kalozasa Dynasty tomb fleet had reached orbit, occupying a huge swath of space.
They loomed over the dome-zone.
"This must be a xenos fleet that has never appeared in Imperial records. It would take at least several times an Imperial fleet's strength to withstand that kind of firepower…"
Chapter Masters and Navy commanders watched the intimidating tomb fleet and couldn't help but tense.
They understood exactly how dangerous a fleet like this could be.
Especially those who had fought in the Orpheus War—those people had felt the tomb fleets' terrifying power firsthand.
Orpheus was an important sector on the edge of the Segmentum Tempestus. The old Imperium had once fought a large-scale war there against the Yenarakh Necron Dynasty.
That war ended with the local Imperial fleets suffering over ninety percent losses—and the Imperium abandoning the region of its own accord.
It was a rare moment of the old Imperium backing down. No relief armadas came to reclaim the sector.
That alone proved how fearsome a complete Necron dynasty fleet could be.
And the Kalozasa Dynasty fleet in front of them was even larger than the Yenarakh fleet they'd once faced.
Hundreds of capital ships—plus even more escorts—formed an armada powerful enough to sweep aside most regions of the galaxy.
If the Imperium fought them now, it would pay an enormous price just to drive them off.
And that was assuming the Savior himself was in command. If this were the old Imperium, it would probably end the way Orpheus did—retreat when retreat was the only sane option.
Any race, any power, would be wary of a fleet of this scale—especially when they were sitting inside its weapons envelope.
Now the Dreamweaver sat exposed before the Kalozasa Dynasty, alone, almost entirely unguarded.
That made many people uneasy. They still didn't trust xenos.
Even allied xenos.
Yet the Savior—the Emperor of the Imperium—seemed completely unbothered, simply watching the tomb fleet assemble.
He made no move at all.
Ansemor hesitated, then finally couldn't hold back:
"Your Majesty, xenos are cunning and deceitful. We should raise our guard, in case they act against the Imperium.
"And perhaps… you should relocate to a safer area."
The xenos leader had submitted earlier, yes—but now he possessed a force that could threaten the Imperium. That demanded caution.
No one could say whether the other side might suddenly betray them and launch an attack.
In short, it was too dangerous for the Emperor to remain here.
Ansemor's words drew nods from the others.
They joined in, urging Eden to move.
If the xenos truly betrayed them and harmed the Emperor, no one would be able to bear that responsibility.
But in the next moment, everyone in the observation dome saw the change in the distant tomb fleet—and fell into stunned silence.
It was something they had never encountered before, so strange their minds briefly went blank.
And looking at that display, there was no longer any reason to insist the Kalozasa Dynasty would betray them.
Too loyal.
In the void, the ancient Kalozasa tomb fleet formed up in perfect order—and projected an enormous holographic image of the Savior in ghostly green light.
Majestic.
Energy windows across the tomb ships arranged themselves into massive words in the blackness of space:
"LONG LIVE THE EMPEROR"
"LOYALTY!"
They offered the Savior their reverence.
After this, who could possibly claim they weren't loyal?
It was the inevitable result. The Emperor of the Imperium had granted Fanes an incomparable gift—so they could only respond with loyalty so absolute it left no room for argument.
Zhabok had governed Fanes as its "Governor" for centuries. He understood politics and social instincts down to the bone.
He had noticed the faint hostility among Imperial personnel earlier—people feared the dynasty's remnant populace, those bodies tormented by the strange illness.
The Kalozasa remnants were human, but their appearance truly differed from ordinary humans.
The Necrodermis Governor understood this clearly: he had to show even greater loyalty to offset that rejection, and to live up to the Emperor's trust.
So he had gone to the Imperium's protocol office and asked the officials what he should do.
In the end, Zhabok chose this moment—when the tomb fleet assembled in full—as the time to declare the Kalozasa Dynasty's loyalty to the Emperor.
He wanted everyone to witness their resolve.
And it matched that being's aesthetic perfectly.
"Little Zhabok really knows how to read the room. He's starting to fit the vibe of the new Imperium.
"Not bad."
Eden saw the words floating in space and immediately "looked most pleased," nodding in satisfaction.
Words like that were, without question, a sign of trust—and intimacy.
Eden wasn't worried about the tomb fleet turning on him, either. He had made many arrangements, and there were also secret units stationed inside the fleet.
More importantly, the Dreamweaver's defensive capabilities were far stronger than most people imagined.
"That xenos leader… disgusting," Ansemor muttered, feeling sour inside. "Who would've thought a xenos could be this good at flattering Your Majesty?"
He wanted the Hope Primarch—His Majesty the Emperor—to address him with that kind of closeness, too.
By blood and gene-line, His Majesty was a brother to his own gene-father—there was no title Eden couldn't use.
Ansemor also wanted to be loyal and to advance.
Eden noticed the mood and frowned slightly.
"No matter what, there's still a barrier between humans and xenos. We're not suited to stand too close."
He knew it wasn't appropriate. It would only breed new problems.
Once this campaign ended, he would assign the Kalozasa Dynasty's forces to the Null Zone anti-daemon frontier out on the borders.
When the tomb fleet finished forming up, Eden gave the departure order. All units would proceed to the Vigilus warzone.
Space rippled.
The Dreamweaver and the tomb fleet entered their transit line and vanished from the region.
Only the boulder-ringed world of Fanes remained, as great numbers of Adeptus Mechanicus vessels drifted toward the planet.
The Tech-Priests would conduct deep excavation and research on this world now that the population had been evacuated.
That work would continue for a long, long time.
—
The Dreamweaver.
Sanctum of the Savior.
Eden leaned over his desk, reading the latest incoming reports. Above his head, a virtual star map of the Vigilus warzone rotated, constantly updating.
The map was packed with markings—regions, races, factions—refreshing every moment.
He snorted. "Vigilus really is one of the biggest cesspits in the galaxy. It's hard to even pick where to start."
That system was crammed with armies from every race and power, fighting nonstop. The conflict had dragged on for centuries.
Even his reconnaissance forces struggled to obtain a full picture. Planning targeted operations was even harder.
You never knew when a fresh army would suddenly appear behind you and come charging in screaming.
As for Vigilus itself and its surrounding moons, their interiors were carved up by different xenos and heretic groups.
And because of the planet's special nature—and its precious Blackstone—he couldn't simply bombard it from orbit. He had to land troops and fight brutal, grinding wars.
That wouldn't be easy.
The one consolation was that, after this period of organizing, the forces he controlled in the region were now substantial enough.
Tarko entered, reporting respectfully:
"Your Majesty, the critically wounded Calgar has been successfully transported back to Saint's Haven at the primary hive on Vigilus, but traitors there launched an attack.
"Fortunately, the Ultramarines repelled it. He survived the assault, and his life is not in danger.
"Our vanguard fleets have also held the line. The Imperium's defenses on Vigilus do not appear at risk of collapsing for the moment."
Eden wasn't particularly surprised. Calgar being attacked and badly wounded was practically routine at this point. That warrior's life was as stubborn as his gene-father's.
Clearly hereditary.
By the time Eden arrived at Vigilus, Calgar would probably be back on his feet again.
Still scanning the documents, Eden asked about what he actually cared about:
"Have you identified the culprit who attacked Calgar? Which entity was it?"
Someone who could casually flatten Calgar was, at minimum, operating at primarch-tier combat power. That demanded caution.
"We found some leads, but it's a bit…" Tarko's expression turned strange. "A bit hard to understand. Based on survivor descriptions, the attacker resembled an Imperial traitor.
"But after bringing Calgar down, he disappeared quickly."
"Who?"
Eden finally looked up from the file, fixing his eyes on Tarko. This was worth his attention.
Any being officially labeled an Imperial traitor was never ordinary.
More importantly, it likely meant someone who rarely showed himself.
"The attacker looked somewhat like the Warmaster who betrayed the Imperium ten thousand years ago—Horus."
Tarko paused before speaking the taboo name, a being no Imperial record would ever mention in detail.
He continued:
"We suspect he may have returned in some form. But we don't know his goal.
"After that, we found no further trace."
"So the day finally came." Eden drew a deep breath and rubbed his brow.
Long ago, he had already suspected the Chaos Gods might resurrect Horus. The Warmaster was an exceptionally important card in their hand.
He was the piece they'd used to strike the Emperor down.
There was no way they would simply let Horus's soul go. They would preserve it—ready to play it at the right moment.
Now Horus's suspected return meant the Chaos Gods were planning something major again—something on the scale of the Horus Heresy.
Just like then, they feared the Imperium's momentum, and they wanted to shatter it all.
To drag the Imperium back into darkness.
So they could once again gorge themselves on humanity's suffering and pain.
"But right now, the advantage is mine. How exactly do the Chaos Gods intend to destroy my rule?"
Eden was irritated. He couldn't see their move. He couldn't see how they thought they could win.
Were they really going to set the galaxy on fire all over again?
But how would they even gather an army like that now? The galaxy's traitors were nearly used up.
The only thing he could confirm was that they wanted to cause trouble on Vigilus—wreck the Blackstone deposits and slow him down.
That could affect him, but it couldn't stop the Imperium's overall resurgence, because Blackstone existed elsewhere in the galaxy—just not in such abundance.
At worst, he could harvest it slowly from place to place.
From that angle, the Chaos Gods' true "big plan" probably wasn't centered on the Vigilus warzone.
"Assign a team to keep Horus under watch. Collect every scrap of information you can. Find out what he's trying to do."
With no clear answer, Eden could only order the relevant departments to build a dedicated investigation group.
Stay as alert as possible.
"I'll select the most seasoned, sharpest Inquisitors and seers to join the inquiry," Tarko said with a nod. "We'll uncover every secret."
Unknown darkness was closing in. Understanding it would be one of the Imperium's most important tasks in the near term.
Then he delivered another report:
"There is one more matter you may need to pay attention to.
"Something has changed within the Eye of Terror. Salvador has reported that it's empty—meaning the Black Legion has departed in full.
"It's a crusade.
"The Black Legion's target is extremely likely to be Vigilus. If they link up with the Black Legion forces already present here, it will place significant pressure on the Imperial defenses.
"And we have already obtained their route. They appear to be seeking an opportunity to launch a surprise attack."
"Abaddon is launching another crusade?
"Which number is this? I've lost count."
Eden's brow tightened.
He had expected Abaddon might show up to cause trouble at Vigilus. He just hadn't expected the bastard to go this far—emptying his home base and throwing everything he had into it.
That was a fight-to-the-death posture. Like he'd decided he wasn't going to live with tomorrow's consequences.
After being looted again and again, Abaddon's strength had been crippled—but he was still, at one point, the Chaos side's banner-holder in the galaxy.
Even a starving camel outweighed a horse.
And plenty of his main forces were already on Vigilus. He still had teeth.
At minimum, Abaddon could affect part of the Vigilus campaign's front lines.
He was one more danger worth watching—alongside the Chaos Gods, Erebus, Horus, and the Tyranid hive.
For Eden, Abaddon wasn't the most lethal enemy here—but if the bastard got a few cheap scratches in when you weren't looking…
It would still hurt.
And worse, it could throw other fronts into chaos and cause more losses.
That was the pressure the Imperium faced on Vigilus.
The enemy wasn't a single force. It was a swarm of different threats. Only an army capable of defeating them all could secure victory.
That was why, before the Imperial grand coalition fully assembled, they had to proceed carefully—and avoid making a spectacle, lest the enemy decided to burn everything down together.
Otherwise, what if the grand coalition charged in, and the enemy simply chose mutual annihilation with Vigilus? Wouldn't that make all of this meaningless?
In this situation, only by scouting, understanding the board, and removing key risks could they launch the final push.
Now reconnaissance was bringing in crucial intel at high speed. The Imperium's coalition was converging on Vigilus from multiple routes.
The final assault was only days away.
"The enemy is moving. We have to move as well."
Eden stood from his desk and looked toward the distant miniature garden.
Under an artificial sun, the flowers and trees grew lush. Leaves rustled in the breeze, soothing to the eye.
After a moment's thought, he gave the order:
"Since we've found the Black Legion's trail, we hit them first.
"And Horus may be using the Black Legion to project influence. We should weaken them as much as possible."
Eden sighed inwardly.
"Abaddon… I saved you once, and now you want to take advantage of the chaos and sneak-attack me? That's shameless.
"I treated you as the Savior, and all I got back was distance. Fine—then I'll drop the act.
"I'll show you what a real Chaos Warmaster looks like."
(End of Chapter)
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