After several days of planning and preparation, the day of reckoning for Bruce had finally arrived.
He would be heading to the Invincible Reason together with Lion in his identity as Bruce, and there he would carry out the mission objective: convert the entire crew.
Only if this step succeeded could the plan to intercept Erebus proceed.
Otherwise, Bruce would have no choice but to rely solely on the Night Lords' resources, head to the Davin system, and somehow find a way to kill Erebus there. That would be far too difficult.
Having a primarch on your side and not having one were two completely different mission difficulties.
"Are you ready, Bruce?" Lion asked, dressed in a resized version of the Lion's power armor, with the matching helm tucked at her waist.
"Are you sure you don't want me to do it instead?" Bruce tried one last time to persuade her. "Looking like this… they'll know immediately that something's off."
This move was too risky. Far too risky. It really was a gamble.
If it worked, they could convert everyone in one clean sweep, with no need to worry about problems surfacing later. But it was that one possible failure that made it terrifying.
"I'm ready," Lion said. "Besides, didn't you say we have a Plan B?"
"Even with a Plan B, it's still a dangerous gamble…"
Lion cut him off and said seriously, "It doesn't matter. I don't want to deceive them. What I need are knights and sons who will follow me without reservation. I believe that once they hear what I have to say, they will make the right choice."
"And besides, what I look like now is not something shameful."
"As long as we deal with them honestly, any problem can be resolved. I do not want to trick them with lies."
"If I refuse to change, then Caliban will be destroyed because of me all over again. Let this opportunity be the one that breaks down the barriers between us."
If we are going to change things, then let everything change.
I will save Horus. I will save Father. And I will save the Imperium and Caliban too.
As long as this succeeds, both the Warmaster and Bruce will be mine!
"All right." Seeing Lion so determined, Bruce said no more.
Rather than lie to the Dark Angels and trick them into drinking the transformation drink, it would be better to let them volunteer. Only that way could the Legion truly be transformed. Otherwise, all they would get was a split.
"Come, Bruce," Lion said as she put on the Lion Helm. With the hiss of locking mechanisms, the armor sealed tight. "Let us fight together."
At that moment, aside from her oddly compact size, Lion looked no different from her usual self. Even though she was much smaller now, her authority was still intact.
"Mm." Bruce nodded and made sure the transformation drink was ready, prepared to drink it himself at a moment's notice.
Before long, the two of them boarded a shuttle and arrived at the Invincible Reason. This was Lion's second return to the great warship since reaching Nostramo.
Lion had already made it known in advance that after returning this time, she would immediately head for the next objective, and that alone had the Dark Angels overjoyed.
Yet that very thing, which should have made everyone happy, soon became cause for unease. The Lion had returned to the Invincible Reason in secret and refused to meet anyone in person.
Even her orders were being relayed through the communications system.
Still, the stranger her behavior, the more it seemed to imply one thing—
The Lion was getting serious.
After all, Lion was the sort of person who would hide nearby and eavesdrop on her sons' meetings before suddenly stepping out. Compared to that, this was nothing.
Thus, under Lion's remote instructions, the Astartes who had accompanied her were all assembled aboard the Invincible Reason, and delicacies brought up from the surface of Nostramo were laid out in full.
All kinds of food and wine were arranged at the gathering point. Lion never said it outright, but anyone with eyes could tell this was a victory banquet.
Only now? A celebration banquet?
The Dark Angels were delighted, but even more puzzled, because…
This really did not feel like the Lion's style.
Had it not always been "doing well is only expected, but doing poorly earns punishment"? Since when had she become this considerate?
"My sons!"
Just as the Dark Angels were standing there baffled and too cautious to whisper among themselves, a voice rang out from above. Compared to normal, it was a little less heavy, but unexpectedly pleasant to the ear.
Huh?!
That's the Lion's voice? Why does it sound a little strange?!
"I am Lion El'Jonson! I have gathered you all here today because I have something important to announce!"
The moment the speaker identified herself, the assembled Astartes immediately snapped to attention. Their eyes turned toward the high platform. Lion had not yet stepped into view, but the voice was undeniably hers.
"All this time, our Dark Angels Legion has been the first Legion created by the Master of Mankind, and the Legion of which He is most proud. That is our honor, and our pride!"
"And I, Lion El'Jonson, count it as my own honor to serve as the commander of such a Legion—to be your primarch!"
"But in this chaotic and treacherous galaxy, the threats faced by the Master of Mankind and the Imperium have grown so great that the strength our Legion currently possesses is beginning to fall short. Think of the foes we have fought before—those hateful xenos."
"Though our might allows us to exterminate them, the Legion still pays a terrible price."
"But today, all of that will change! Because I have brought with me a divine gift from the Master of Mankind—a sacred draught that can greatly enhance our strength!"
As Lion said herself, she held nothing back. She explained every effect of the transformation drink to all of her sons.
Its function, its effects, its wondrous properties—nothing was omitted.
And when the atmosphere had reached its peak, Lion personally stepped out from the shadows. She revealed her current form before everyone, calm and composed despite the doubt and alarm it provoked.
"Look at me, my sons. I have already changed. But compared to the power this can grant us, the price is worth paying."
"I, Lion El'Jonson, swear this: I will fight for the Emperor! I will fight for mankind! No matter what shape I must take!"
As she made her vow, Lion removed the Lion Helm, displaying her current appearance fully before her sons.
A little golden-haired, blue-eyed girl. Delicate-looking, even beautiful. At first glance, nothing about her resembled the original Lion.
And yet, through the resonance between primarch and sons, everyone understood at once that the girl standing before them truly was Lion El'Jonson. More than that, the aura of power radiating from her was as mighty as ever—if anything, even stronger than before.
"Ahhh! I swear my life to the great Lion!" one knight cried out, the moment he saw Lion in her new form. He raised his fist and shouted before his mind had a chance to catch up.
I don't know what happened, but this Lion is exactly my type!
This had nothing to do with reason. It was all pure lower-brain thinking.
"Long live the Lion!"
"For the Lion!"
"Lion! We adore you!"
The moment one man took the lead, the rest naturally began shouting from the depths of their hearts as well, because all of them had confirmed one truth:
Only her appearance had changed.
But the Lion was still the Lion.
And the Librarians of the Legion had not voiced any objection either. They had repeatedly examined the Lion's current condition and found no sign whatsoever of warp corruption. If anything, they sensed in her something close to the Emperor's own sanctified power.
Could it really be holy water, then? A blessing granted to our Legion by the Emperor Himself?!
In that case, they absolutely had to drink it.
"My sons! At my command, raise the sacred draught beside you and drink with me!"
"Accept the Emperor's blessing, and march onward to our next battlefield!"
Holding the transformation drink high, Lion declared, "And this shall become the Legion's most guarded secret. You shall become the first members of a new Inner Circle, and the bond between us shall be unique!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Under their primarch's influence, the Dark Angels took up the drinks set before them, preparing to down them all at once.
Drink it, grow stronger, enter the new Inner Circle, and become part of the old guard—why would anyone miss such a chance?
Just drink it. Was their primarch really going to harm them?
After all, she had drunk it herself.
"Hold, my Lion! I object!"
A voice rang out from within the crowd—a single discordant note among the Dark Angels.
A small knight in a hood pushed his way forward through the gathering. His steps were firm and powerful, like those of a zealot prepared to die for his faith. Even before the Lion herself, he dared to say no.
"Lion, you cannot do this!" Nemiel declared.
Bruce nearly lost it when he saw him.
What the hell?
Old geezer? So you didn't die after all?
Warhammer: After Crossing Over, I Met a Round-Headed Old Fogy.
"State your reasons, Nemiel." Lion lowered her drink and looked down at him, her expression dark.
They were one step away from success.
And now you choose to jump out and oppose me? You've got courage, I'll give you that.
And also—
You already drank the transformation drink too, damn it!
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter108)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 99
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 95
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 99
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 92
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 47
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 44
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 43
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 26
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 32
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