The defeat of the Dark Angels was shockingly fast!
They fought with all their might, but no one had ever seen these foes before.
Originally, Supreme Grand Master Azrael planned to cover it up—after all, this was not the first time the Dark Angels had stabbed someone in the back. The Deathwatch and other chapters had all been betrayed by them at some point.
Normally, the Dark Angels were the most loyal Astartes, but when it came to the Fallen, they became the most fanatical zealots.
But this time, they'd kicked not an iron wall, but a steel one. The Custodes instantly overwhelmed even the First Company, and the new Astartes were unbelievably powerful.
Before they even realized what was happening, their bolters were gone, their chainswords and power swords snatched away, their limbs severed.
Even the powerful psyker Ezekiel was knocked out in an instant by a mysterious Astartes—Rhodes' secret weapon, Mephiston from the Blood Angels.
This mighty Librarian had followed Rhodes for over a year, training his own Librarians and sometimes learning from Magnus the Red.
After receiving the Primaris upgrade, Mephiston's psychic might was beyond what any normal Librarian could match, including Ezekiel.
In the past, if the two met, Mephiston might barely win, but now, after the upgrade, Ezekiel had no chance.
To ensure the Dark Angels' defeat, Rhodes had specially dispatched this psychic master!
Originally, Mephiston didn't want to intervene, but the Dark Angels chose the most foolish path. Luckily, Lord Rhodes had pleaded for them.
This time, the Dark Angels would only be taken to Holy Terra—once their Primarch returned, he'd personally discipline his wayward sons.
To attack the Custodes, the Emperor's chosen, was treason. If not for Rhodes' intervention, the Dark Angels would have been erased, becoming the tenth traitor Legion.
"Dark Angels, pray! Be grateful!
Thank the great Emperor for his mercy, and Lord Rhodes for pleading your case.
If not for him, for your attack on the Custodes, I'd have executed you all," Ultraman said coldly.
This was a one-sided slaughter—they hadn't suffered a single injury. The new Astartes' combat power was far beyond the old.
With the Custodes present, the Chapter Masters and Captains were easily subdued.
Terminator armor looked powerful, but the new Mark XII modular power armor designed by Salome matched or even exceeded it.
The Dark Angels thought themselves the mightiest Astartes, but even with the Primaris upgrade, without special metal tendons or the 19 extra organs, they couldn't even match the old Custodes.
Rhodes' sons could survive in vacuum, resist cosmic radiation, and transform in battle, utterly overpowering the Dark Angels.
"You're Guilliman's lapdogs, aren't you? Guilliman has usurped the throne!" Azrael shouted, struggling up.
They'd planned to kill the Custodes and new Astartes, but were instead defeated without inflicting a single wound.
He'd failed the Rock, the Legion's secrets, and all the Grand Masters before him.
The Dark Angels' final secret had been discovered, and they'd even attacked the Custodes.
He could already foresee their fate—the first founding Legion in ten thousand years to be declared traitors.
"You are too extreme, Dark Angels. I thought the Blood Angels kept secrets, but you are even more ruthless," Mephiston said.
The Blood Angels' Black Rage and Red Thirst were known secrets, but not guarded as insanely as the Fallen, and the Imperium knew some details.
The Blood Angels had many successor chapters, some even exiled for their blood-drinking, like the Flesh Tearers.
But the Dark Angels' secrets were so tight that even their closest merchant allies only guessed the truth.
Mephiston had probed the minds of several Dark Angels to check for loyalty, and found that each knew a different truth.
Most incredibly, about the Fallen—none of them actually knew why the Fallen rebelled or the details!
Many mysterious Dark Angels had fought valiantly for the Imperium, like Cypher, who once appeared before Rhodes.
Now he knew—these were the so-called Fallen. Without Rhodes, who knows how long these secrets would have lasted!
"Don't worry, you won't be executed, but you will be tried on Holy Terra. Once your Primarch returns, he'll apologize to the Emperor himself," Ultraman said.
The Dark Angels need to be reformed! Only some chapter cultures are worth preserving—like the Black Templars, Salamanders, Ultramarines, and the Blood Angels.
But the Dark Angels—these guys are even more ruthless than the Space Wolves. The Wolves are just wild, but the Dark Angels are truly possessed.
Ultraman thought Rhodes should have shown no mercy. The gene-vaults could make a new Dark Angels Legion and erase the old one!
To the Custodes, attacking the Emperor's chosen for the sake of secrets was ultimate betrayal.
Truly, the original Astartes were failures! Only the Custodes were ever truly loyal.
"The Dark Angels never betrayed the Emperor! This is a secret we've kept for over ten thousand years. How did you learn it?" Azrael asked.
"That's not your concern. Unless you have something to hide, know that before the Emperor, no human has secrets," Ultraman replied.
"You should thank Lord Rhodes and the Emperor for their mercy. This time, you're only missing limbs," said a Captain among Rhodes' sons.
In the past, losing limbs would cripple a Marine, but now, medical pods could restore them.
"Enough, Supreme Grand Master! Perhaps we really were wrong, and this may be a good thing!
If we go on like this, the Dark Angels may truly fall to Chaos. It's better to restructure.
We old relics should step down. If the Emperor and our Primarch truly awaken, we'll enter Dreadnoughts to atone," Ezekiel sighed.
The Dark Angels had kept their secrets too long. The old guard should all enter Dreadnoughts.
"Take all the Dark Angels aboard and return to Holy Terra for trial," Ultraman ordered.
The Astartes with him immediately began packing up the now-helpless Dark Angels.