---o---
This was an unavoidable side effect. Zhou Ye's potion was designed specifically to combat their Red Thirst and Black Rage.
If the Flesh Tearers merely succumbed to the Black Rage, the Blood Knights had wholly surrendered to the Red Thirst. They kept their masks on at all times, as the faces beneath were horribly mutated. This was also why Zhou Ye had stationed them here, with not a single mortal in sight.
If the potion proved incapable of suppressing them, Zhou Ye had already planned to lock them in a stasis field, find a suitable battlefield later, and let them find their glorious end.
As it turned out, the effect was remarkably effective. Every time they felt the urge to embrace the Red Thirst, that nauseating feeling would well up and force it back down. For these warriors, it was like fighting with a mouthful of shit.
The Chapter Master of the Blood Knights' eyes were already blood-red, the image of Seth flickering before him. He charged forward. But this time, it was clear this would not be their final resting place. The disorganized Tyranids, even with a number of Warrior organisms among them, were incapable of forming a coherent defense. They were mercilessly slaughtered. Of course, the war was not confined to this single location; the sounds of battle echoed from all directions.
Not far from the Blood Knights' position, two figures stood observing.
"To think that after ten thousand years, the sons of Sanguinius have fallen to such a state. Even our Lord's potion can barely suppress their Thirst. Has it truly come to this?"
One of the figures was the Contemptor Dreadnought, Aslot. The main battle was a contest in the void of space; it was not yet time for the Space Marines to truly unleash their might on the ground. So, he had come here with Dante.
He knew it was a unique curse of the Blood Angels, but back in the day, Sanguinius himself had managed to suppress the Red Thirst through his sheer charisma and other means. The Black Rage had not yet manifested then. As for Aslot himself, his being had been thoroughly modified by Zhou Ye.
He was, after all, an almost 100% creation of Zhou Ye, unlike the Lamenters who were locals transplanted with new gene-seed.
Therefore, he was completely free of such problems. The curse was transmitted through the Warp, and his soul, like Zhou Ye's, was a pure 'null' in the empyrean. This meant he was immune. But his memories were original; he was, in essence, a reborn being.
Naturally, seeing the state of his brothers filled him with sorrow.
"..."
Hearing this, Dante removed his own mask, his ancient face etched with exhaustion.
"Yes. The potion Lord Phanes has given us has solved the problem for most, but for a chapter like this, one that has completely embraced the Red Thirst… it is a little beyond saving. They have already been marked as heretics. All they seek now is a place for their eternal rest."
Dante's expression was incredibly complex. Other chapters would seal away battle-brothers who fell to the Red Thirst. They had delved deep into it, but they had not embraced it. The Blood Knights, however, were a far more severe case.
"Lord Phanes told me that this was primarily caused by Guilliman's decision to break up the Legions. Without the support and organizational structure of the parent Legion, many inherent gene-flaws slowly began to surface."
Aslot's voice was laced with resentment. If he had been around back then, he would have had a serious talk with Guilliman about the matter. Some chapters had gene-flaws that were simply too severe to be split off on their own.
The Space Wolves and the Blood Angels were two prime examples. But at the time, there was little choice. Without the protection of Sanguinius, the Blood Angels had very little influence.
Dante then looked towards another battlefield, where the forces from Trailblaze were fighting. They were facing the main body of the Tyranid ground forces, and the battle was exceptionally fierce. It was said that a few Solar Auxilia could trade for one Astartes, but the gap between mortals and Astartes was still immense.
The main reason they could fight alongside Astartes was their equipment. While the gear of the Solar Auxilia wasn't as expensive as Astartes wargear, it was by no means cheap.
Now, Zhou Ye's auxiliary troops were lavishly equipped, with almost every squad possessing dedicated vehicles. Only with such support could they coordinate effectively with Astartes. The Planetary Defense Forces, of course, were a step down. But even so, they were better equipped than most Astra Militarum regiments.
The Imperium, constrained by its abysmal communications and logistics, was incapable of mounting an effective armed response. You can't just have weapons without ammunition. At least half of the production capacity of Zhou Ye's forge worlds was dedicated to manufacturing ammunition, the single greatest consumable in warfare.
Even in the current era, it was common to have enough weapons but run into problems with ammunition supply.
"Venerable Aslot, why are your Space Marines so tall?"
"Ah, Seth didn't give you… that is the Primaris technology. These Astartes are born with a strong resistance to the Red Thirst. However, for those who are already Astartes, this surgery is extremely dangerous. The mortality rate is as high as seventy to eighty percent."
Aslot paused to think before remembering. Seth had grabbed the potion and rushed off, which meant the Lamenters never had the chance to explain the Primaris technology. It wasn't like with the Black Templars. The high mortality rate was also a specific instruction from Zhou Ye.
After all, other places didn't have the "Black Abyss White Flower," that super life-saving artifact. If every surgery resulted in a death, it wouldn't be much fun.
But…
"A high mortality rate?"
Dante's body trembled, and his eyes lit up as he looked at Aslot.
"Venerable one, I implore you, perform this surgery on me."
"Of course. Lord Phanes's Hyperion has specialized temporal stasis chambers."
Aslot didn't think much of it. With the Black Abyss White Flower, the surgery's success rate was 100%. If there was a lull in the fighting, they could perform the Primaris surgery on everyone. And with the time-acceleration rooms, they could also speed up their recovery.
Weapons and armor weren't an issue either. Zhou Ye's Space Marines were typically issued two sets of power armor. They could spare a few. It wasn't a big deal. In that case, upgrading the Blood Angels to Primaris seemed like a good idea.
As for Dante's ulterior motive, Aslot was completely oblivious.
---o---
Three days later…
"What in the world is the Great Devourer doing? Their vanguard fleet has been all but annihilated."
Aboard the Hyperion, Zhou Ye frowned as he looked at the swarm outside the ice crystal ring. From his perspective, they were just a cluster of tiny dots. It was clear his last superluminal "roll call" had scared them witless, forcing them to retreat so far.
Zhou Ye began to think. Something was not right. Of course, he wasn't going to fire another shot like that. It consumed too much energy, and he had no idea how many Greater Daemons he'd have to eat to replenish it.
If he had to personally solve every problem like that, he would eventually run out of energy.
"At least we can breathe for a moment. I've already established a rapid connection with at least fifty worlds in the Underworld System."
Looking at the panel in front of him, Zhou Ye sank into his leather sofa for a comfortable nap. Ai-yi thoughtfully brought him fresh tea and pastries. Ashira didn't need to prepare these for him anymore; it felt a little inappropriate to be so extravagant on the battlefield.
Although his subordinates all felt it was his due. No matter how much Zhou Ye indulged, it would not be excessive. For someone who controlled fifty-two worlds and had influence over nearly two thousand more, any level of luxury was insignificant compared to the scale of his domain.
Those corrupt officials who scraped every last bit from a tiny piece of land to satisfy their own greed would be better off making the pie bigger first, so there would be more to take.
But Zhou Ye felt that while he too was a scoundrel, he tried his best not to be that much of a scoundrel.
"Those worlds are all under the shadow of the Tyranids. Coupled with the Great Rift blocking the light of the Astronomican, they can only rely on small, local 'lighthouses'. The populace is in a state of panic."
"Let the Blood Angels handle it. The Baal and Underworld Systems may not be the 500 Worlds of Ultramar, but they are the local lords here. They don't need us… Hmm? Dante wants to undergo the Primaris surgery. See? This is a man who wants to improve. A Chapter Master leading the way for the Primaris surgery. Very good. Very spirited. Tell Dante I approve. If any of the Blood Angels are willing, I'll approve them all. I will personally perform Dante's surgery to guarantee a 100% success rate."
Zhou Ye nodded in satisfaction. He would operate on Dante himself. Retirement? Impossible. Such a useful workhorse couldn't be allowed to just lie down and die. Besides, Zhou Ye estimated that his new Minister of the Interior would go insane sooner or later.
The man was already fighting a desperate battle against a mountain of paperwork. Even though Zhou Ye's planets were digitized, there was still a mountain of nonsensical Imperial documents that required signatures.
He had just tossed his seal to Klee, but his minister couldn't do that. Zhou Ye didn't care about power because he possessed absolute power; gaining it was just a matter of saying the word. But for his minister, it was different. He needed to use these processes to consolidate his authority.
In any case, corruption was rare among Zhou Ye's subordinates, because they genuinely had no time for it. And making a major mistake could earn you a bolter round.
"I have a feeling Dante has other ideas," Ai-yi said with a smile.
"Of course, I know. I may not be British, but some things they say make a lot of sense. Namely, if it's useful, work it to death!"
Zhou Ye chuckled. He understood Dante's little scheme all too well. He wasn't British, but the entire Warhammer world was steeped in their fine traditions.
He had simply chosen to adopt some of the more… pragmatic ones. Like working a good horse to death.
The last time he had proposed establishing a Third Imperium, he had scared the daylights out of Guilliman and Curze. Learning from that failure, Zhou Ye now planned a more gradual approach. He would guide Dante, step by step, into becoming the Emperor of a Fourth Imperium, before the old man even realized what was happening. That way, he could be the comfortable Warmaster and go Waaagh!
So, rest? Rest in your dreams.
Magos Omega 010, makes a limited-time return.
Zhou Ye returned to his normal human size and hopped off the massive sofa that could double as a bed. He donned a long, red robe. He would perform this surgery himself. This time, however, he had no intention of modifying Dante into one of his honor guards. He was still smarting from the recent energy expenditure and had no desire to increase it further.
Soon, outside the operating room, Dante was making his preparations, a look of anticipation on his face. He was already fantasizing about the surgery failing, about dying on the operating table and returning to the embrace of his gene-father.
In that moment, he would find eternal peace. In a hopeless, desperate world like this, the quiet sleep of death was an absolute luxury.
He had lived for over a thousand years, leading the Blood Angels for just as long. His soul was far more weary than his body.
"Dante, are you being too reckless? You are already so old. Shouldn't we test it first? And we are still at war; this is hardly appropriate."
A group of Blood Angels and their successors surrounded Dante, all trying to dissuade him. They had figured out his plan, and to them, it was terrible news.
Dante was in such a rush for the surgery. While they had seen the combat effectiveness of the Primaris Marines from Trailblaze and did not reject the technology—in fact, they welcomed it—they were still on a battlefield. And Dante himself was leading the charge.
"Karan, if anything happens to me, you will be the new Chapter Master."
Dante gave the order to Captain Karan with absolute finality. If this were the original Battle of Baal, he would never have done this. But things were different now. A much taller figure was standing at the forefront. He knew that even if he were gone, this great Primarch would lead the Blood Angels to victory. An old relic like him would only become an obstacle on the great Primarch's path of consolidation. A new, better dynasty was dawning; it was time for him, a relic of the previous era, to disappear.
And so, under the worried gazes of his sons, Dante slowly walked into the operating room.
---o---