The Pride of the Emperor.
In front of the huge observation deck at the bow of the ship.
Kasjia's pressure was very high right now.
As the de facto leader of the Seventeenth Legion, the Imperial Heralds, he had been given the mission by the Emperor to lead this huge legion, which currently had nearly a hundred thousand Astartes.
In the days of Lorgar's repentance, the cleanup of Colchis had been completely completed, and the welcoming teams from the various expeditionary fleets were also preparing to fly to various places to carry out new crusades.
Soon, an entire fully-manned Astartes legion with a Gloriana-class battleship would be under his command, and Kasjia would assist and supervise Lorgar in the reorganization of the legion.
From the Emperor's perspective, sending Kasjia to assist Lorgar was actually a good method.
A mystic like Lorgar really didn't have much experience in military governance. If left unchecked, he would very likely slide back into a Crusader-style religious guard.
After all, that's all he knew how to do.
He had to be assigned a suitable person as a mentor, just like Horus leading Sanguinius, to guide the other.
And this important task was not to be borne by a Primarch, but had surprisingly fallen on the shoulders of this Space Marine, Kasjia.
"Could it be that Old Man Gold also wants to test my ability to lead a large legion in battle?"
But this thought only existed in Kasjia's mind for a moment before he instantly rejected it.
Unlikely.
He was just a small Space Marine, not a Primarch.
What did he need the ability to manage a large-scale legion for?
The various burdens brought by the legion were by no means small.
First, the carrier of the gene-seed, where would the blood tithe come from?
Colchis had been completely blown to bits. The Seventeenth Legion had no homeworld. Where would they find enough qualified young men to complete the modification?
From the crew of the voidships?
The first fleet-based legion seemed to be about to be born.
Secondly, should the Seventeenth Legion still maintain the name Imperial Heralds?
Kasjia thought about this question for a moment, and finally made a decision.
Let's just call them the Word Bearers. After all, the Imperial Truth was truly from the hands of the Emperor.
It was countless times more authoritative than that second-hand Lectitio Divinitatus.
Finally, and most importantly.
How am I supposed to support this bunch of complete trash?!
The Word Bearers had one advantage, and that was their large numbers.
But their large numbers were different from the large numbers of the Ultramarines.
The large numbers of the Ultramarines were a dynamic balance, maintained at the level of two hundred and fifty thousand under Guilliman's high-intensity farming.
Two hundred and fifty thousand Ultramarines. If twenty thousand of them died, how many would be left?
The correct answer is—two hundred and fifty thousand.
Guilliman's blue sons and blue grandsons being endless was not just a saying.
It was the best effect that could be achieved with all projects, starting from logistics, operating closely like a machine.
But what about the Word Bearers?
Large numbers.
Before the Great Betrayal, there were also two hundred thousand of them.
But it was really just large numbers.
Apart from some chaplains that Lorgar had installed in the legion, he had done nothing. The entire legion had no organizational level.
Even during the period of believing in the Imperial Truth, the Imperial Heralds, it was the same.
Also known as the Iconoclasts, whenever they conquered a world, they would spend a long time destroying the idols and theological publications on it, and would preach the greatness of the Imperial Truth.
Perhaps they were very good at maintaining public order, but when it came to fighting...
...they were a mess.
Fortunately, due to the slow progress of the Word Bearers' Great Crusade, they had not fought many hard battles at all, and had relied on religious victory to persuade the other side.
At the same time, Lorgar's gene-seed was stable and had good adaptability, and the success rate of the surgery was also high, which led to the Word Bearers' rapid troop production.
After a while, they did indeed have a lot of men, and their momentum was also indeed strong.
All because they didn't fight, and just spammed population.
When they really went on stage, the Battle of Calth directly demonstrated what it meant to be shattered at the first touch.
(With a surprise attack and the help of countless summoned daemons, they were still pushed back by the Ultramarines, and their flagship was even captured.)
After turning to Chaos, it was even worse. Lorgar didn't care about anything, and it was all up to the next level, the Dark Apostles, to control things themselves.
But most of this group of Dark Apostles were just idiots who could fight and chant scriptures. When it really came to command and operational ability, it was really unbearable to look at.
No organization, no discipline.
When they fought, they would scatter in all directions. For others, it was the stretcher-bearer team fighting desperately for the Primarch. But when it came to the Word Bearers, it was the Primarch Lorgar who was covering the rear for the Word Bearers.
"Dad! You hold them off first! We're retreating!"
Leaving Lorgar alone to fight the terrifying Raven Guard.
An extraordinary individual.
An entire legion of extraordinary individuals.
And it was clear that the Emperor had not considered a very key question—
...as a Space Marine, how could Kasjia control this group of extraordinary individuals?
"Excuse me, Mr. Kasjia."
"To be able to receive your invitation is a great honor for me."
The pure white wings contracted and swung in front of the magnificent door behind Kasjia, and squeezed into the room at an angle that did not scrape the wings.
She bowed her head and eyebrows, one hand gently stroking her chest as she bent down and bowed, and said politely.
"It is my honor. Lady Sanguinius, please be seated."
Kasjia accompanied her with a smile and quickly came forward to welcome her.
And in front of her seat, a small basket of fresh grapes from Chemos, sealed in a stasis field, was placed.
The charming fruity aroma attracted the steps of Sanguinius from a distance.
To cater to one's tastes is a very key job.
After a long period of thinking about how to reform the Word Bearers, Kasjia had finally made up his mind.
He had chosen to apply for outside help.
Kasjia could not perfectly integrate an entire legion.
But with the help of an angel, a Primarch with both the highest combat power and charisma, it would be different.
Just in time.
The Angel's Ninth Legion would also officially rendezvous with the Angel soon, and thus would carry out an independent crusade.
And during this period of adjustment between the legion and the Primarch, it was just right to act together with the also-adjusting Word Bearers, to deepen cooperation and understanding.
"Thank you for your recognition."
"I, on behalf of the Ninth Legion, express my gratitude for your invitation."
With an elegant smile, Sanguinius came forward and took her seat with grace and etiquette.
And Fulgrim, who was following behind the Angel, did not have such a good look on her face.
It seemed she was very dissatisfied with Kasjia's invitation for her sister to join the joint fleet.
Originally, Fulgrim was very unhappy with the order for Kasjia to be transferred to the Seventeenth Legion as an instructor.
Now, not only was Kasjia going to command the Seventeenth Legion, but even the Angel was going to be involved in the fleet.
This gave her a strong sense of crisis.
Looking at the seated Angel, Kasjia nodded.
The 28th Expeditionary Fleet of the Emperor's Children, the Word Bearers who had just arrived at the ruins of Colchis;
and the upcoming Ninth Legion, the ghoul legion...
...such a powerful Astartes legion forming a joint fleet, their strength could be said to be abnormally terrifying.
"But I have one more question."
The Angel Sanguinius said with a smile, after lightly breaking off a translucent purple grape and putting it in her mouth.
Delicious.
Her translucent, golden eyes suddenly widened, and her fingers unconsciously twisted off a few more grapes and quietly stuffed them in her hand.
Right, I haven't asked the question yet.
"Commander Kasjia, I want to know why you chose to invite me to complete the reorganization of the Seventeenth Legion together."
"In my opinion, Horus would be more adept at this, and would be able to teach Lorgar more."
Good question.
Logically, the experienced Horus was indeed more suitable.
But... Kasjia also had his own difficulties.
[Because there are not many normal people left among the Primarchs.]
Kasjia used psychic communication for this sentence.
As he spoke, he looked at the Angel tiredly, and then turned his head to look at the Horus fleet and the Word Bearer fleet, which were still in orbit and had not yet left.
To let Horus lead Lorgar...
Thinking of this, Kasjia's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
Two Emperor-fanatics who were almost no longer hiding it.
Especially Lorgar!
Ever since the Emperor had pointed out his disloyalty and disbelief, as if out of a sense of repayment, his persistence in the Imperial Truth and the Emperor's words had reached a point where he was almost possessed.
"Emperor—! Emperor!"
"Emperor, Emperor, Emperor, Emperor, Emperor, Emperor, Emperor, Emperor, Emperor, Emperor, Emperor, Emperor..."
He would often stay alone in the ship's room on the Bucephalus, and from time to time, some crazed shouts would come out.
Even Horus called him too extreme.
He had no doubt that if these two Primarchs were to talk about anything related to the Emperor for even a second, these two brothers from the same father would instantly form an Old Man Gold fan club.
—Or they would start a big fight over the Emperor.
To hand Lorgar and his legion over to Horus... it was really hard to imagine what kind of abstract appearance the Word Bearers would end up with.
Fulgrim was the same.
Kasjia was afraid that she would now go and set up a grand theater for the Word Bearers, and then start the Sagittarius golden ring.
What kind of legion could these two Primarchs lead?
An entire legion of Horus in a drooling state?
That's very Sagittarius golden ring.
Kasjia had no doubt that at that time, Thirty years, Sagittarius, golden ring would even be written into the Lectitio Divinitatus, and would be passed down for thousands of years.
I hope this won't happen.
He prayed silently in his heart.
After thinking it over, it seemed that only Sanguinius was left.
Her thinking was the same as a normal person's.
This, among the Primarchs, was already a very rare advantage.
[I understand.]
[Perhaps... you are right.]
As Sanguinius quietly put the grapes in her palm into her mouth, one by one...
...her eyes were at this moment filled with a look of pity.
Poor little Space Marine.
Not only does he have to be Fulgrim's husband and assist the female Primarch in completing the work of the Third Legion, but he has even been personally requested by the Emperor to manage the Seventeenth Legion, the Word Bearers.
Even though the abstract degree of the other's Primarch is on par with Horus.
Sanguinius looked at the other and nodded lightly.
She had indeed not met the Ninth Legion, but she had still heard of the cruel and bloody reputation of the ghoul legion.
This is very bad.
And the artistic cultivation of the Third Legion, the Emperor's Children, was precisely what her Ninth Legion was currently lacking.
(Especially since Arcur was currently stationed with the Iron Hands.)
If she could assist the Emperor's Children in completing the adaptation of the Word Bearers before the arrival of the Ninth Legion's fleet, then she could, after the arrival of the fleet, have the legion learn from each other with the Emperor's Children.
To complete the reshaping of her own legion.
A win-win situation, just as she wished.
And...
After finishing the grapes in her palm, the still-unsatisfied Sanguinius reached out her hand and broke off a few more.
The grapes were also very delicious.
Sanguinius agreed.
Now, with the Angel, the most normal person among the few Primarchs, on guard, the crazy part would naturally be reduced a lot.
The Word Bearers... should be able to normally walk the path of spreading the Imperial Truth, right?
I hope the legion is alright.
Kasjia placed his own good wishes on this.
"I have no objection."
As for Fulgrim, she also had no objection.
The cooperation was negotiated very quickly.
"If things go smoothly on Lorgar's side, the communication with him will be connected very soon."
Not long ago, the fleet of the Seventeenth Legion, that is, the Word Bearers, had just arrived. At this moment, Lorgar was on the flagship of the Word Bearers, communicating with his sons.
Although the Emperor had indeed transferred the responsibility of leadership to Kasjia, a Primarch was still a Primarch. The natural affinity he had for Space Marines was not something an outsider like Kasjia could compare to.
For him to be an invisible decision-maker lurking in the dark was not a bad thing.
And during this waiting period, Sanguinius was putting grapes into her mouth one by one and savoring them.
Really delicious.
On the moon of Baal, the toxic soil, full of radiation, simply could not produce such delicious fruit.
But...
...I believe that with the various modifications of the Imperium of Man, one day Baal will grow grapes that are even more delicious than this.
After waiting for a not-so-short period of time, and two bunches of grapes in the fruit basket in front of the conference table had been picked off...
...with the flashing of the screen in front of the flagship's conference room, finally, a projected head of Lorgar appeared in everyone's field of vision.
Lorgar had successfully reappeared from the flagship of the Seventeenth Legion.
"I am very sorry. I was a little delayed by this thing."
As he spoke, he turned his body to the side embarrassedly and showed them his new staff.
In his communication with the Word Bearers, he had successfully mastered the use of fire within the Word Bearers.
And he had successfully made the eternally burning Erebus into a staff.
Under the fierce fire of the Imperial Truth, the blasphemous heretic only deserved to be burned by the endless flames!
And after this, the legendary, fire-resistant Erebus had also become one of the most beloved characters of everyone:
—the Lone Staff Banner Bearer.
Congratulations, congratulations.
"Welcome, Lorgar."
"Before we reorganize the Word Bearers, is there anything you would like to share?"
"Whether it is to spread the information of the legion, or to construct the future vision of the legion."
"Mm. In my meditation during this period, I have been thinking about the future of the Word Bearers."
Lorgar in the picture nodded.
"Not long ago, brother Horus took the initiative to communicate with me about how to be full of love and respect for the Emperor..."
"WHAT!?"
Kasjia, who had heard the keyword, almost jumped directly from his chair.
"Hold on!"
"What do you mean, Horus communicated with you about how to be full of love and respect for the Emperor???"
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....
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