Upon hearing the order, the local Arbites quickly packed up the limbless Dark Angels, loading them onto ships.
Soon, only Azrael was left, even Ezekiel was taken by Mephiston.
Even limbless, Ezekiel had to be personally watched due to his psychic powers.
"Now can you take me to the Primarch?" Ultraman asked Azrael.
Under the Rock, there were many chambers—so many that even the Dark Angels had lost count.
The regular Dark Angels weren't allowed in; only the Chapter Master and Inner Circle could enter.
Only the current Supreme Grand Master knew where the Lion slept.
Given the situation, Azrael had no choice but to nod and agree to lead Ultraman to the Lion's chamber.
But the other secret—the imprisoned Luther—he would not reveal.
Several Custodes followed, taking Azrael into the depths of the Rock.
Upon entering, the Custodes immediately sensed discomfort. In the darkness, something seemed to watch them.
They even heard whispers, but could find nothing, no matter how they searched.
"There are others here, aren't there? A force hidden even from the other Dark Angels?" Ultraman asked Azrael.
Though unseen, the Custodes' enhanced senses told them there were other lifeforms present.
At this, the Custodes drew weapons, power swords shining with golden light.
"Don't worry. Besides us, there is another kind of life here: higher-dimensional beings, called Watchers in the Dark," Azrael explained.
"How many secrets do the Dark Angels have? The so-called Legion with no secrets has the most secrets of all! What are these Watchers?" Ultraman asked.
Are they secret troops? How were they trained? What beings can evade even the Custodes' senses?
"The Watchers is what we call them. Few know of their existence—only the Chapter Master communicates with them.
Perhaps others have, but I do not know. They appear as small, hooded, scythe-bearing sprites.
My predecessor died fighting Chaos. As acting Chapter Master, I was guided by the Watchers to the secret chamber where I inherited the Legion's secrets," Azrael said.
The Dark Angels have many secrets—some known only to the Chapter Master. If the Chapter Master dies unexpectedly, the Watchers become their guides.
"Will they attack us? How did you find them?" Ultraman asked.
Even Lord Rhodes didn't know about the Watchers—if he did, he'd have warned them.
"No one knows where they came from. Since the Legion moved into the Rock, they appeared.
Earlier Grand Masters speculated they might be the spirits of Caliban. As for whether they'll attack you—I don't know.
You are the first non-Dark Angels to enter," Azrael explained.
"We mean no harm. You don't intend to hurt the Dark Angels, so we'll remain silent. You may take what you need, and I will lead you to the Lion's chamber.
But do not enter any other rooms—many secrets and dangerous prisoners are kept here," said a Watcher, appearing as a black-cloaked, scythe-wielding wraith.
The sudden appearance of the Watchers made the Custodes tense—they'd never seen such creatures.
They did not seem to come from the Warp. Were they really the spirits of Caliban?
"I need to know your attitude toward the Imperium," Ultraman said coldly.
Azrael had criticized the Emperor's alliance with the Eldar, but these Dark Angels had kept such beings for ten thousand years!
Only now did Ultraman realize how many secrets the Dark Angels hid.
"We will guard the Lion's return, the new Dark Angels' return, and continue to guard the prisoners. We have no ill will toward the Emperor's servants."
A hundred Watchers appeared, circling the Custodes.
"I'll report this to the Emperor. When the Lion awakens, he must explain himself to the Emperor and the Imperium," Ultraman said.
"The Lion does not know of our existence. Only the Supreme Grand Master, chief Librarian, and a few others do."
"See to it. Let the Emperor and the Primarchs judge!" Ultraman said, signaling for the Watchers to lead the way.
He just wanted to retrieve the Lion and leave—this fortress gave him chills.
The deeper they went, the more it felt like an abyss filled with secrets.
Led by the Watchers, the Custodes passed many rooms, each holding warriors in Legion-era power armor.
Most of these prisoners were in stasis, time having passed little for them.
"These are the Fallen! I thought you killed all you captured," Ultraman said.
"We cannot confirm their true guilt, so we detain them until the Primarch returns to judge them," Azrael replied.
"So you don't really know what happened? Whether the Fallen truly betrayed you?" Ultraman asked.
"I can confirm they followed Luther. There were tens of thousands of them—the First Legion was the largest. In the later stages of the war, they were caught in a Warp storm.
Over ten thousand years, the Fallen have appeared at random times and places in the galaxy.
We have only captured a few thousand, with many still at large," Azrael said.
Over so long, they had caught only a few. The relentless pursuit had even driven some Fallen to Chaos.
Yet some Fallen insisted on their innocence, wandering the galaxy.
"You should have reported this to the Imperium! The Lion had not yet vanished, and after a century of his slumber, the Wolf Lord left. If you had reported it, things wouldn't have gotten so bad.
Countless innocents died in your secrecy," Ultraman said.
Rhodes had told him that not all Fallen were traitors. When the Lion returned, he would pardon those who had not joined Chaos.
Of course, those who had fallen to Chaos were true traitors.
Azrael was silent for a moment, then sighed. Things were not so simple.
The Legion had many internal conflicts. When the Lion first returned, not all respected him as other Legions did.
Luther, the Lion's foster father, was second only to the Primarch himself. Going from father to son was a huge psychological blow.
And Azrael wasn't Chapter Master then—who knew what the first Grand Master thought?
Other foundings also had traitors—why not the proud Dark Angels?
Still, it was a massive betrayal, involving tens of thousands.
"We will take all the Fallen you've captured as well," Ultraman said firmly.
Since they were still alive and merely imprisoned, they would be taken.
"No! They are true criminals and must remain here until judged by the Primarch," Azrael shouted.
No way—he could make many concessions, but not this.
"It's the Emperor's order. I won't repeat myself.
You are stripped of your title. All Dark Angels are now prisoners," Ultraman said.
"Let them take the Fallen. The Lion will soon awaken and judge them himself," said a Watcher.
The Fallen survived only thanks to the Watchers. Otherwise, the Dark Angels would have executed them.
"Since you say the Lion will judge, we'll take them to Holy Terra for his judgment."
Ultraman snorted, called for the Arbites, and had all the stasis-bound Fallen loaded onto the ship.
They continued deeper into the underground fortress.
In the depths, they found imprisoned Chaos Daemons, Chaos Space Marines, and xenos.
"We're here. The Lion sleeps inside."
Led by the Watchers, the Custodes entered a hidden, luxurious chamber. Lying within was a tall, burly man with white hair—
The Emperor's first son, the Primarch Lion El'Jonson.