Chapter 41: Just One Step Away
The Warmaster's Quarters
"The Emperor's future has no place for you. You have committed unforgivable deeds; you can only embrace Chaos," the voices whispered.
"Come on, only slaughter can bring you pleasure. Sever the Emperor's head with your own hands, and you will fully possess him."
"Do you feel it? It's the smell of betrayal."
The whispers from the Warp constantly echoed in Horus's mind. He trembled, enduring the assault as his sanity desperately tried to maintain control.
Then Abaddon's angry voice came from outside the door. "Warmaster! The Word Bearers Legion says the Soul Drinkers Legion are infiltrators!"
The daemon voices seized on this immediately. "It's the smell of betrayal."
"Do you smell the betrayal? Your brother has been betraying you all along."
"He is already prepared to sacrifice you for the False Emperor. Betrayal! This is betrayal!"
Countless voices, male and female, incessantly whispered in Horus's ears. Horus clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. Even the armor on his hands deformed from his grip. The metal groaned under the pressure.
"No! No! He wouldn't lie to me!" Horus roared frantically.
"These are all your lies. Francis is innocent and pure!"
Bang bang bang!
"Warmaster, should we capture them?!" Abaddon called through the damaged door.
"No need, I'll ask him myself!" Horus kicked the door open with a bang, sending it flying. Even Abaddon, who was standing outside, was sent flying by the debris.
Few moments before in Fulgri'm chambers
"Primarch, we've been discovered," Sarpedon whispered into Francis's ear, his voice only audible to the two of them.
Francis immediately frowned and sternly rebuked him. "How could this happen?! You messed up a small experiment! Now I have to clean up your mess."
He turned to Fulgrim and continued, "You think for a bit, I'll go sort out an experiment and be back shortly."
Before he finished speaking, he vanished from his spot.
Fulgrim couldn't help but exclaim to the empty air, "Francis is a good person. He's top-notch, whether as a friend or a brother."
He settled back into his chair. "With so many plans, I really need to think carefully."
As he was pondering, Fabius Bile, the Chief Apothecary of the Emperor's Children, walked in. Just as he was announcing his optimization results for gene-seeds, he paused.
Whoosh whoosh. Whoosh whoosh.
Fabius smelled another scent. Soon, he followed the scent to the table, where Francis's half-finished potion and other gene-modifying items lay.
He quickly strode to the table, picked up a super pineal gland, and rubbed it on his face. "Hiss-ha. Hiss-ha. There are so many xenos scents in here."
"Hiss-ha. Hiss-ha. This smell is amazing! Primarch, how about you give me your experimental notes for this thing. Hiss-ha."
Fabius continuously rubbed the pineal gland, clearly excited by the new modification.
"Uh, this is something Francis made," Fulgrim replied. "You can ask him for the notes. However, this particular item cannot be used for your experiments yet."
Fulgrim snatched the super pineal gland from Fabius's hand. After all, he still needed this item; he couldn't do without it!
Fabius, deprived of his treasure, was somewhat reluctant. He stared for a while before coming back to his senses. "Then I'll go ask him for the notes right away! Hehehe."
Without a moment's hesitation, Fabius immediately ran in the direction Francis had left. Fulgrim watched him disappear around the corner.
Seeing everyone seeking out Francis, Fulgrim couldn't help but admire his brother, who truly led a fulfilling life.
Sure enough, not long after, Horus also came looking, seeing only Fulgrim sitting disheveled inside.
"Where is Francis?!" Horus roared.
"He said he went to the lab to sort out some experimental issues," Fulgrim replied, looking up from his calculations. "Are you in a hurry to find him?"
Looking at Fulgrim's clueless face, Horus ran out without another word.
Fulgrim stared after him in confusion.
It wasn't until Abaddon ran over, panting, and told him, "The entire Soul Drinkers Legion has all betrayed us!"
After saying that, he continued to chase after Horus.
Hearing the news of Francis's betrayal, Fulgrim was filled with disbelief. He had no idea what was going on.
"How is this possible! Can the False Emperor tolerate such heresy? How could it be?" Fulgrim muttered to himself.
"This can't be, can it? If anyone is loyal to the False Emperor, it can't be Francis!"
"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"
Fulgrim was lost in confusion. He simply couldn't believe Francis hadn't fallen to Chaos. "Could there be a mistake?"
Mars - Adeptus Mechanicus Forges
"No mistake! Absolutely no mistake," the Tech-Priest reported to Horus. "The Soul Drinkers Legion received your mission and has already escorted the envoy to the Adeptus Mechanicus on Mars."
Facing the highly rigorous Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, Horus's face was as ugly as if he had eaten a Gretchin's fart.
"Francis! One day, you will fall into my hands again," Horus growled.
Horus suppressed his rage, but in the end, he couldn't help but punch a machine.
Bang!
The ten-meter-tall machine shattered into pieces, sparks scattering across the floor. Then he left with a dark expression.
The Tech-Priests nearby were silent for a long time before one said, "Why did you smash my machine when you're angry? Now what? It'll take another ten days to fix!"
Meanwhile, in the Warp - Aboard an Imperator-class Battleship
"Primarch, what should we do with this old geezer?" Sarpedon asked, holding a multi-melta gun to Fabius's head and staring intently at him.
Fabius said with a mournful face, "We're all on the same side, why resort to weapons? I'm just here as a student to learn gene modification from you, Primarch."
"Uh, perhaps you're mistaken," Francis replied, stroking his chin with interest. "We're not on the same side. We've betrayed and returned to the Emperor's side. Now we are enemies. Do you have anything else to say?"
Francis was quite interested in this old man.
"You can switch factions back and forth?" Fabius considered himself well-traveled and experienced, but he had never seen anyone return to loyalty after betraying.
How was this different from him killing someone and then saying, "Sorry, I didn't mean to"?
Fabius looked at the envoy, who was now a bloody mess on the floor, and smelled the burnt protein in the air. He was certain the other party wasn't joking.
"Is that all your last words? Then we're going to proceed," Francis said.
With that, the multi-melta gun on Fabius's head heated up. Time seemed to slow considerably as Fabius's brain performed billions of negotiations and calculations.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle.
Just as his head emitted the smell of roasting meat, Fabius immediately said, "My gene technology is quite good. I can be your assistant! Actually, I didn't defect to Chaos; I just wanted to research technology."
"You understand, right? That kind of forbidden technology! I'm just a pure Apothecary; I have no rebellious intentions. Hahaha."
Fabius laughed awkwardly until the muzzle above his head gradually cooled down, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"You all help him understand our gene technology," Francis commanded.
As Francis's words fell, dozens of Soul Drinkers surrounded Fabius, stroking their chins and smiling at the old man.
"Hehehe. Let us show you our treasures!" they said in unison.
After they dragged Fabius into the lab, Francis had someone clean up the blood on the floor.
Then Francis went to the Starseer and said, "Contact Leman Russ of the Space Wolves and ask him why I was exposed. Did he remember the list of traitor Primarchs I gave him?"
As the Starseer's psychic powers activated, she quickly contacted Leman Russ.
"What list of traitor Primarchs? I don't remember anything about that?" Leman Russ clutched his head in agony after receiving the message, completely unable to recall any such thing.
"The Word Bearers, Night Lords, Iron Warriors, and half of the Alpha Legion have all betrayed us," Francis said urgently.
As soon as Francis finished speaking, he saw the Starseer open her eyes. "The communication was inexplicably cut off. I need to re-establish contact," she reported.
Francis rubbed his temples in frustration. There was nothing he could do. Now he could only wait for communication to be restored before he could transmit the message.
Fortunately, the Adeptus Mechanicus had not yet split.
When fleeing, he happened to encounter a battleship sent by Horus to the Adeptus Mechanicus on Mars, so he decided to help by checking on the Adeptus Mechanicus on Mars himself.
As for things like illegally restored STC databases or demanding Forge Masters to support the Warmaster, it was better not to let them do such things that would affect unity.
It was at this moment that the battleship's alarm sounded.
Sarpedon rushed over. "We suddenly encountered a large number of Chaos Daemons! They are heading in your direction," he reported.
"Such a coincidence?" Francis shook his head, hoping he was overthinking it.
When he arrived on the deck, he saw a Greater Daemon of Khorne standing there, wildly brandishing its massive claws. It was surrounded by Chaos Daemons predominantly in purple, pink, and black hues.
"Roar roar roar!"
When Francis appeared, they charged forward even more frantically. The deck shuddered under their advance.
"No way..." Francis muttered.
[End of Chapter]