Stationed on the planet Raphis was the Third Company of the Ultramarines Chapter.
This company was famed for hunting xenos, and had even earned the respect of their black-armored brethren in the Deathwatch, winning the title “Scourge of Xenos.”
The Deathwatch was a special Chapter, formed from elites dispatched by various Chapters.
They were the capable arm of the Ordo Xenos, responsible for containing and destroying all xenos species.
Having fought xenos year-round, the Third Company was filled with vigilance toward the Aeldari who had suddenly appeared on the world of Raphis,
but after Archmagos Cawl, Inquisitor Greyfax, the Living Saint Celestine, and several other high-ranking figures of the Imperium revealed their identities one after another,
they suppressed their impulse to attack the Aeldari.
“The Emperor guides us, that we might escort Archmagos Cawl and the sacred relic in his possession to the Lord of Ultramar.”
“We need your help.”
Celestine looked sincerely at the Ultramarine speaking with her.
“A squadron of Stormravens will soon arrive at our fortress. I will spare two of them to send you to the strike cruiser Sword of Honor in orbit.”
The leading Ultramarine did not know the purpose of Archmagos Cawl and the others’ journey to Macragge,
but out of loyalty to the Emperor, he still cooperated with them as much as possible.
This warrior also revealed an important piece of news: the Lord of Ultramar had indeed returned to the Fortress of Hera several days ago.
If all went smoothly, Archmagos Cawl’s party would be able to see him on Macragge.
After confirming that they could travel to the world of Macragge, the allied force split up their team.
On the Ynnari side, apart from the emissary Yvraine and her champion guard—the Visarch,
the other Aeldari returned to the Webway and left this world,
heading to other Craftworlds to inform their kin that the God of the Dead had begun to awaken.
Creed remained on Raphis with the remnants of Cadia, the Tempestus Scions under Greyfax, and the knights of House Taranis, assisting the Ultramarines in defending this world.
Those traveling to Macragge included Greyfax, Amalrich, Galain, and several other Black Templars, Celestine and her twin handmaidens, Cawl and his Skitarii and servitors, and of course, Daqi as well.
Daqi kept silent the entire time, watching the plot unfold from the side.
To be honest, it was a little boring. Fighting was still much more satisfying.
But that was how the story mode of a virtual reality game was.
“For the Second Empire. I’ll bear with it for now.”
Daqi said silently in his heart.
He had already made up his mind. The moment Guilliman revived, he would raise his arms and shout, For the Second Empire.
With the realism of this game’s AI simulation, Roboute Guilliman’s reaction would definitely be pleasantly surprised—very unexpected.
Ten minutes later, two Ultramarine Stormravens landed on the fortress landing pad,
carrying Daqi and the others toward the strike cruiser Sword of Honor in orbit.
The gunship had just entered the strike cruiser’s hangar deck when a fully armed squad of Ultramarines was already waiting for them.
“My apologies, but this is necessary. Macragge is suffering the threat of Chaos. We cannot add further risks.”
“Please forgive our discourtesy.”
The captain of the Sword of Honor first expressed his apologies, then had Daqi and the others all locked in confinement cells.
Yvraine and the Visarch were furious, as were Amalrich and his subordinates,
but Celestine soothed them, telling them to think more of the purpose of this journey and not mind their temporary treatment.
Daqi wandered around a few times, found it boring, and chose to enter hibernation to skip the plot.
While they were locked in the confinement cells, Archmagos Cawl proposed performing surgery on Greyfax to remove the binding scarab within her body.
The process lasted several days and was extremely painful, but Greyfax endured it with her iron will.
At the same time, she kept watching Celestine.
From beginning to end, she had never trusted this Living Saint.
Her long career as an Inquisitor had allowed her to witness too many lies and too much corruption, while true miracles were few and far between.
Those gifts that seemed to come from the Emperor and symbolized hope were often filthy temptations laid by the Chaos Gods.
She would keep her eyes on this Living Saint.
The moment the other party showed any sign of heresy, she would strike without hesitation.
Yvraine found an opportunity to hold a secret discussion with Archmagos Cawl that lasted several hours.
The main content concerned how to use the Armor of Fate in the Archmagos’s possession to ensure that Roboute Guilliman would be revived without fail.
The two sides ultimately reached a consensus, and Yvraine left satisfied.
As long as Roboute Guilliman could be revived successfully, he would be able to lead the Imperium of Man against Chaos and buy time for the Aeldari.
Archmagos Cawl also gained much, becoming more confident in the oath he had sworn ten thousand years ago.
………………
When Daqi ended his hibernation that skipped the plot, the Sword of Honor had already arrived in orbit above the world of Macragge.
Macragge was the homeworld of the Ultramarines Chapter, and also the foremost of the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar.
It was currently ruled by one of the Imperium’s three mighty men, the current Chapter Master of the Ultramarines—Marius Calgar.
Chaos warships bearing the insignia of the Iron Warriors, Night Lords, Emperor’s Children, and others were exchanging fire with Macragge’s defensive fleet.
When the Sword of Honor approached the world of Macragge, it was also forced to join this chaotic battle.
Obvious tremors came from the firing of shells and the void shields absorbing the massive kinetic impacts.
In order to deliver Daqi and the others to the surface, the Ultramarines deployed two squadrons of escort fighters to protect the Stormraven carrying Daqi’s group.
Daqi stood beside the porthole, looking outside.
After the Stormraven plunged into the atmosphere,
he saw dense flocks of Heldrakes and traitor fighters circling above the Fortress of Hera,
weaving between towering statues and gigantic buildings.
They strafed the defenders or dropped tons of munitions onto the ground, setting off waves of terrifying explosions and destroying large numbers of colonnaded temples and residential districts.
The fierce counterattacks of the Ultramarines also caused the enemy to lose dozens of fighters in every suicide assault.
The intense aerial battle made Daqi’s blood boil.
“I swear I’m gonna learn how to fly a plane.”
After a thrilling flight, the Stormraven carrying Daqi and the others successfully entered the Fortress of Hera under the cover of escort fighters and ground forces.
[You have successfully completed the mission: assist Celestine in escorting Archmagos Cawl to the Ultramarines’ homeworld—Macragge.]
[Mission rewards obtained: 1,500 experience points, 1,500 points, Reputation +120, Iron Halo ×1.]
As the notification appeared, a blue-quality Iron Halo appeared in his storage.
After choosing to equip the Iron Halo, Daqi’s helmet vanished, and an iron halo appeared behind his head.
The Iron Halo was an ancient sacred relic, a special badge of honor containing a powerful deflection field that allowed it to withstand the most ferocious attacks.
With this thing, the Emperor, in all his venerable wisdom, would no longer have to worry about him getting headshotted by the enemy because he wasn’t wearing a helmet.
“Finally completed the mission.”
Daqi checked the equipment’s attributes, as well as its blessing affix.
Overload Capacitor: When suffering a fatal ranged strike, there is a 20% chance to generate a shield lasting five seconds, absorbing all damage.
Daqi’s sudden change of equipment instantly drew the gazes of Greyfax, Amalrich, and the others.
This was their first time seeing the face of this nameless angel of the Emperor.
Black hair and black eyes, handsome and dashing, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Before this, they had constantly speculated whether there truly was flesh beneath this nameless angel’s armor, or whether he was a pure heroic spirit of the Imperium.
Now, the truth had been revealed.
Beneath that unpainted suit of armor was a human filled with vitality.
But now was not the time to investigate this further.
They had to go and meet Calgar as quickly as possible.