Perturabo had just taken over the defenses when he realized Angron had already fought his way right to his front door.
At this moment, Angron was wielding a massive axe. Though his body was petite, the giant axe looked as light as a wooden stick in his hands. With a simple swing, one could see the Virtue symbol engraved on the weapon.
Ever since a certain Ork obtained a copy of The Art of Looting, the Orks had popularized this method of "convincing people with virtue." Engraving the character "Virtue" on a Big Choppa allowed them to literally beat morality into others. After meticulous testing by the Orks, this method proved highly effective. Naturally, Angron copied the technique.
"You finally came out, Perturabo!"
"To think you stayed inside playing video games for ten thousand years!"
"You've practically turned yourself into a total shut-in. Didn't you ever think about turning your inner ambitions into reality?"
"Into reality?" Perturabo snorted coldly. His power sledgehammer, which was far heavier than those used by ordinary Space Marines, slammed heavily onto the ground.
He was highly curious about how Angron, originally a Daemon Prince of Khorne, had escaped the shackles of Chaos. Now, Angron had not only regained a human body but also seemed to have awakened some sort of latent instinct.
"Turning multiple sectors into war fortresses?" Perturabo scoffed. "Don't tell me you became like this just to go back to working for that Corpse Emperor?"
"If that's the case, you truly are the biggest joke in the entire universe right now!"
Perturabo knew very well that among the Primarchs who agreed to join the Horus Heresy back then, Angron had been the quickest to agree. Even Perturabo himself had hesitated for a moment before committing to the rebellion. Yet, look at this guy now. For some unknown reason, he had reverted back.
"A joke?" Angron nodded. "It is pretty funny, but it counts as a deadpan joke."
"Your deadpan joke is even colder than the ones told by a certain brother of ours!"
"That thick, multi-layered, unbreakable armor of yours cannot hide your fragile inner heart."
"I can sense your desire deep in your core, yet you have never expressed it. You use a shell of iron to cover up your own vulnerability!"
"Didn't you just want to do some diplomatic work and handle construction in the rear lines?"
"But you stay as silent as a mute. How is anyone supposed to know what your heart truly desires?"
"You!" Perturabo hoisted his heavy hammer and charged out at extreme speed with heavy strides.
He swung savagely toward Angron's position. To his surprise, the Red Angel dodged the strike with a ghostly, phantom-like grace. It was as if the opponent knew exactly where he was going to strike from the very beginning, anticipating every single calculation.
Instantly, all kinds of hidden traps and ambush fire erupted from within the defense system. According to Perturabo's calculations, no one should have been able to dodge these attacks. Yet Angron evaded every single one of them, acting as if he had prior knowledge of their locations. Everything Perturabo did was completely seen through by the opponent. Stranger still, everything the opponent did seemed to perfectly mirror what was in Perturabo's own mind.
However, Perturabo had never faced his own inner thoughts, nor had he ever expressed his inner world. Even though he knew Angron was laying all the cards flat on the table for him, his stubborn and twisted nature refused to accept this open statement, viewing it as pure provocation.
"The Primarch Mom is awesome!"
"Glory to the Gene-Mother!"
The World Eaters cheered in unison.
Relying on heavy firepower even more terrifying than that of the Iron Warriors, the World Eaters army finally pushed through the enemy lines. Among the numerous vehicles currently deployed by the World Eaters, Caleb had even fielded 42 pieces of military equipment that shouldn't exist until a millennium later. Those were things that would only be introduced after Belisarius Cawl's time, but in this era, Caleb brought them out ahead of schedule.
[Caleb : Shoot him with that Emotion Converter gun!]
[As long as you defeat him, I have plenty of ways to twist him back!]
Caleb knew that the current Perturabo was beyond saving. He was a Daemon Prince, and the distortion deep within his soul had reached an irreversible point. The best method was to defeat him first, then use his own abilities to forcefully snap him back into shape. Perturabo's mind was currently a tangled, knotted mess of ropes. Only by straightening those ropes out could the problem be fundamentally resolved.
[Angron: Understood!]
Angron didn't waste words and charged straight toward him, pulling out the Emotion Converter gun—a weapon that had previously dropped from Doraemon.
"Utterly detestable!"
Perturabo immediately noticed Angron's movements, or rather, he immediately sensed what the opponent was thinking. Angron never hid his mind; during their battle, his thoughts were completely exposed. What the opponent wanted to do and what he was thinking played out entirely within Perturabo's own mind. Perturabo's command capabilities were inherently exceptional, so he could naturally process the influx of information.
Seeing the opponent raise a toy-like gun, Perturabo's stubborn mind refused to acknowledge that such a weapon could possess any real function. Yet, in the end, he still chose to dodge—but how could anyone easily dodge a beam attack?
A sudden surge of emotional chaos caused Perturabo's body to freeze. An inexplicable wave of emotion began to swell continuously within his heart. In that split second, he seemed to realize why he lived such an exhausting life. Perhaps if he were just a bit more straightforward, or a bit purer, things wouldn't be this way.
"Quick, protect the Primarch!"
Even at this moment, the Iron Warriors holding their defensive lines remained loyal only to their Primarch. They attempted to use their bodies to shield their mentally disoriented leader—completely unexpecting that the Primarch behind them would swing a power fist and punch them aside.
"Get the hell out of my way!"
Perturabo raised his power hammer once more, hoisting it high before slamming it down with immense force.
This time, however, he failed to hit Angron's head. His hammer struck empty air, allowing Angron to close the distance.
"Do you want to die?"
Angron never expected that a strike that should have hit him would end up being a deliberate move toward self-destruction. The moment a death wish surfaced in the opponent's mind, Angron's choice was to rush forward and finish him off entirely.
A massive amount of blood erupted from Perturabo's body. By all rights, Perturabo should have died completely under this strike, returning to the Warp.
Yet, the sudden appearance of a giant golden hand made both Primarchs realize that their true Father was finally making a move.
"Angron, I hope that at this point, you can keep your promise!"
"To be honest, I don't like taking my sons to participate in those meaningless wars!"
"In my heart, the Emperor and that disgusting adoptive father of mine are cut from the same cloth."
"They both possess grand ambitions, yet in the end, they were both outcalculated by the Gods!"
The golden hand gripped Perturabo firmly, dragging him back through a spatial rift.
Only at this moment did Angron suddenly see the light. It turned out Perturabo had seen through certain things much earlier than some of their other brothers. Then again, it made sense. Perturabo's capabilities were directly mirrored by Rogal Dorn. Though the two were mortal rivals, their insights were remarkably similar.
As one of the Emperor's top workers, Perturabo naturally knew exactly what the Emperor's ambitions were. And it was precisely because he knew this ambition that he concluded from the very start that certain needs of his would never be fulfilled. This twisted mentality caused Perturabo's mind to constantly knot itself up. On one side lay his own desires, and on the other lay his father's expectations. Under the conflict between the two, he eventually twisted himself into a madman.
Caleb also gained a rough understanding of how Perturabo's mind had knotted itself. To put it plainly, it was a very bizarre line of reasoning. First, an idea would form in his mind, and before he could even speak it aloud, he would predict whether the other party would agree. Because he anticipated rejection, resentment would breed in his heart.
Then, driven by a desire for approval, he would execute the other party's plans. The better he executed them, the more intense the hatred grew. By that point, Perturabo would view all of the Emperor's encouragement and praise as mere hypocrisy. Even if the Emperor genuinely encouraged him, this twisted mindset would cause a severe misunderstanding.
Of course, Caleb knew deep down that this could hardly be called a misunderstanding. After all, the guy who actually followed his own desires had already had his Perfect City blown to pieces by the Emperor. Perhaps it was due to that exact trauma that Perturabo traveled further and further down the path of being a twisted individual.
"Well... can I call him a pitiful child?"
"Forget it. The phrase 'Iron Within, Iron Without' seems to have always been Perturabo's disguise."
Caleb couldn't be bothered to untangle a mind that was already a total mess. Now, he wanted to straighten Perturabo out directly, turning him into a completely straightforward person. As for all those convoluted, messy emotions, it was better to be direct.
It would be far better to let Perturabo become a sharp-tongued loli mom. That way, it would be a good thing for humanity and the Iron Warriors alike.
Thus, Caleb pulled out the "Pe-loli" model he had planned for a long time. Before this campaign even began, Caleb had commissioned Hashida to customize a model for Perturabo. Wouldn't it be great to turn Perturabo into a twin-tailed loli mom who loved calling people scrubs?
Grey hair tied in twin tails, dressed in Lolita fashion, and wielding a giant hammer—this kind of mom looked exactly like the type who would verbally abuse scrubs incredibly harshly. Her face carried a sharp, cold, and calm aura, yet at the same time gave off an illusion of being cold on the outside but warm on the inside.
"You are Perturabo, you are Perturabo!"
"You are a good mother who is cold on the outside, warm on the inside, and completely straightforward!"
"In your heart, you still cherish those children. You like doing what you want to do, but you don't want the children to see it!"
Caleb still retained some of the twisted traits of the original personality, but he made certain improvements to ensure she wouldn't twist herself to the point of going mad again. Caleb's personality design would only twist once; after that, it wouldn't warp back. For example, if she scolded a child for being a useless scrub, it meant the child likely had great potential. It was merely Mom Perturabo expressing her frustration over their lack of progress. But in front of the other children, she might say something like, "Go learn from them." The most typical example would probably be Dantioch.
"Is it over?"
[Caleb : Not yet!]
Just as Angron thought the battle was completely over, the golden hand reappeared in the sky, catching everyone's eyes once again. Soon, a soft and cute loli with her hands on her hips, capable of controlling hovering mega-cannons, appeared before everyone. Almost instantly, a sense of familiarity connected to the Iron Warriors' bloodline flooded the minds of the legion.
"Primarch!"
The Iron Warriors, who were on the verge of being beaten to the ground, instantly snapped to attention. Wait, wasn't the Primarch taken away by that golden hand? How did he get remolded into this shape and sent back?
[Angron: Holy crap, Perturabo, you look so cute right now!]
[Do your best, you'll definitely make a great mom!]
[How about coming out with me to fulfill your ambitions and play a real game of Hive City: Skylines! With your current abilities, you can literally do whatever you want!]
Perturabo suddenly looked down at his own small feet. He never expected that the golden hand would mold him into this ridiculous state.
Holy crap, this is suddenly so embarrassing!
Would this tiny, youthful appearance look a bit disgraceful in front of his own children?
"Angron, you bastard, you actually lied to me!"
"You are dead today!"
With a raise of her hand, the original giant hammer floated into the air, and she charged toward Angron. The massive cannons behind her fired various types of ammunition. Mega-cannons of this caliber were originally meant to be mounted on Imperial Knights, but now they served as floating funnels around Perturabo, which was absolutely absurd. The caliber of the cannons was likely larger than an ordinary person's head; a single shell could obliterate a whole crowd.
However, none of this was effective against Angron, because he could feel that although she was charging over while screaming, her mind held absolutely no killing intent toward him. To put it another way, her psychological state was merely feeling a bit embarrassed about her current appearance. As for hating him? Not at all.
"Run, children, let's leave first!"
"Let's leave Perturabo here to have a good think!"
"She'll accept all of this very soon. Our mission is complete, everyone move out!"
"Huh?"
All the World Eaters withdrew from the front lines. After this battle, they felt as though they had witnessed the funniest joke in the world. The genetic Primarch of the Iron Warriors, Perturabo, had actually turned into a girl after a fight with their Primarch! And she was an incredibly cute little loli at that! Now, the Iron Warriors had their very own loli mom.
Seeing her children standing frozen on the spot without moving, Perturabo's temper flared instantly.
"What are you scrubs waiting for? Charge!"
"Are you just going to stand there and watch?"
"The enemies are running away, can't you see? Do I have to give an explicit order for you to move?"
Being scolded by the current Pe-loli like this, for some unknown reason, all the warriors suddenly felt a wave of secret satisfaction in their hearts. Even though Mom was scolding them, everyone somehow felt that Mom was actually caring for them. Well, in reality, everyone just found it thoroughly enjoyable. Being chewed out a bit by their current Primarch Mom made their originally twisted mentalities feel a whole lot better for some reason.
"Iron Within, Iron Without!"
The crowd shouted their battle cry and charged out, but their footsteps couldn't possibly keep up with the pace of those World Eaters. That group of red-painted tin cans had hopped straight into vehicles and slipped away. Quite a few of them even fled on motorcycles, and no one knew where those vehicles had come from.
"Ahhh!"
"You scrubs can't even catch up to that!"
"Get back inside and await your punishment! See if I don't beat you to a pulp!"
Perturabo, feeling rather exasperated, now exposed her emotions directly through her language. Although she scolded them incredibly harshly, these warriors certainly hadn't disgraced her during this battle. Throughout the engagement, even when the enemy held the advantage in equipment and numbers, they managed to maintain a decent casualty exchange ratio. Quite a few defense machines inside her own fortress had malfunctioned, yet under such conditions, they still held the line.
At this moment, only around 4,000 Iron Warriors remained on the entire planet. At the same time, Perturabo intended to deal with those damn Imperial Fists.
"A few of you, go deal with those Imperial Fists for me!"
"If you lose, don't bother coming back. Just change your name to the Imperial Fists directly!"
Perturabo pouted her little lips. She didn't know why, but she seemed to have become quite straightforward now. She would speak her mind directly, a change that felt influenced by Angron.
"Yes, Primarch! We will definitely fulfill our mission!"
Several Warsmiths led their grand companies, preparing to cook the geese of those Imperial Fists warriors. However, at this moment, the golden hand suddenly sent someone to the current Perturabo—someone he held a love-hate relationship with.
"Dantioch, aren't you dead?"
"You actually have the nerve to show your face beside our Primarch? Who gave you the audacity?"
"Yeah, aren't I dead? Damn it, that's weird!"
"I literally watched Guilliman hold a funeral for me. How did I end up in this godforsaken place again?"
Dantioch felt deeply bewildered, and immediately after, he sensed a presence he despised.
"Primarch!"
The moment he turned his head, Dantioch was fully prepared to start cursing. But upon seeing the soft, cute loli in front of him, the curses that were about to slip out of his mouth ground to a halt. He scanned the Pe-loli before him up and down with a look of absolute disbelief. He utterly could not bring himself to believe that this little loli was Perturabo.
"Is this our mom?"
This sudden, bold question left all the Iron Warriors completely stunned. Everyone felt that this guy was practically begging for death. Yet, it was precisely these straightforward words that caused the originally gloomy Perturabo to let out an involuntary chuckle.
Perturabo had already caught up on his experiences and understood that after this child went out to roam the galaxy, he had become different from the other children. While the others were still suppressing their emotions, this guy had entered a state of saying whatever was on his mind.