"Salute you, Lord of the Shadow Moon Wolves."

A mortal he didn't know was bowing to him.

They always like it.

When he saw the diminutive figure by the door, Horus, the emperor's favorite heir, the god of wolf herding of the empire, and the genetic prototype of the sixteenth Astarte Legion, thought so.

The genomorph who had emerged from Kthunia still had a friendly smile on his face, his gaze quickly scanning the mortal's body, his gaze scanning over the glittering medals and buttons, flowing on his meticulously combed hair, he was sure that this was a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Army, but definitely not part of his troops or expeditionary fleet, because he did not recognize him.

He may have fought alongside the mortal in front of him in a battle, but that kind of improvised battle and friendly forces are so many as a genetic protologist that it's easy to forget.

But even so, Horus strode forward and patted the mortal on the shoulder affectionately.

[Why so much courtesy, my comrade-in-arms. 】

The voice of the genogen was like a bell, and although he never screamed hard, it still easily caused waves in the corridors and rooms.

[You and I are both warriors who have fought bloodily for the great cause of the empire and mankind, and we are both brothers who have fought side by side, when do we need such polite courtesy. 】

The friendly words made the mortal officer's shoulders tremble involuntarily, and even his voice turned into an incredulous inquiry.

"Do you remember me, sir?"

Well, it seems that he did forget something.

[How can a soldier forget his comrades who shed blood and sweat with him, I think every detail, every drop of blood, and every sacrifice of that war is also imprinted in your memory, my comrade-in-arms. 】

Beneath this soft voice was the soul of a mortal who could barely keep thinking in the face of the strength and charm of the genetic prototype.

"Yes...... Yes, my lord, of course I remember! ”

"On Kotosnor, you and your warriors struck the Admiral and Warboss of the Orc fleet in a time of crisis, saving my legion, my fleet, and the whole world!"

Kotosnore ......

The name was tumbling through the original brain, and Horus spent one moment searching for similar fragments in his vast sea of memories and thoughts, and the next moment he identified it.

Nothing special, it was a small incident he would barely remember: he and Ezekell, with dozens of warriors, ended the battle in a Terra standard hour, and in the heart of the Genoplasm, it was like a weekend afternoon outing.

But in the heart of a mortal, that may be the most memorable and reverent moment of a lifetime.

The original genome smiled inwardly, and at the same time, he remembered the name of this mortal.

[Nothing, Mr. Oster, nothing, our arrival is important, but if it weren't for the heroic battle of you and your subordinates, that world would not have been able to wait for the moment of our support, you are the real hero and hero in that battle, the one more important than me. 】

[You and your soldiers sacrificed their lives for the great cause of the emperor, and shed blood and sacrificed, and this is enough. 】

In this burning galaxy, no sacrifice will be overlooked, just as no betrayal will be forgiven. 】

——————

"Father is wasting time on these mortals again."

Azekyll lowered his voice and let out a pitiful chuckle.

He, Ezekell, or rather, we can use the name that will be more famous and loved in the future:

Abaddon.

"I really don't understand, what is there to worry about with these mortals, what place and time do we have to use them, is it possible that without them, we can't destroy countless aliens and traitors, all the way from the starport of Divine Terra?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a string of playful remarks came from Abaddon's side.

"Oh, of course, we don't need them at all, at least the heroic Lord Abaddon doesn't, he can take out an entire Greenskin fleet and swallow an entire rebellious planet into his stomach by himself, without fire cover or flanking or anything."

"I ......"

"Who needs such a girl's chirp, our Abaddon is famous for winning all battles~"

"Togarton!"

Abaddon snorted unpleasantly from his nose, and laughter erupted all around him.

The Shadowmoon Wolf, who let out a series of playful laughs, was completely unashamed of his companion again, and Togarton's face was as happy as ever, and he touched Abaddon's chest with his elbow affectionately.

"Oh, come on, my Ezekell...... Are you angry? ”

Abaddon kept his face on his face, as if trying to show his anger, but when his gaze involuntarily moved to Togarton's face, and saw the frowning expression, he finally couldn't hold back.

"Poof-me, I'm angry-poof-hehehe......"

The corner of the corridor was filled with happy air for a moment.

When Horus patted the inexplicable mortal on the shoulder again, and saw that he had finally been thanked, as if he had received some great benefit, and disappeared at the end of the corridor, he turned his head and saw that his sons were already laughing.

It didn't take much effort for the wolf waffler to figure out what was going on here, for Abaddon was laughing and holding Togarton's shoulder, and his tone of laughter informed him of the good things that were about to happen in the arena.

Horus waited patiently for his sons to recover from their joy before motioning for Abaddon and Togardon to follow in his footsteps, while the remaining Shadowmoon wolves bid farewell to their genetic fathers and went to the arena or some other place to find something to pass the time.

The wolf herder and his two heirs crossed a staircase and a long corridor, and finally stopped in front of a private hall.

"Oh...... I still miss the vengeful spirit, which is like the place where a warrior should be. ”

Looking at the gilt on the armrest, Abaddon couldn't help but complain softly.

[I also miss the Spirit of Vengeance, its modest appearance and powerful reputation, as well as the Corridor of Honor and the Legion Arena, but unfortunately, Ezekell, my strongest child, it will still need to spend some time on Mars, and it will not be easy to overhaul a Glory Queen. 】

Horus's voice will always be sincere and firm towards the Shadow Moon Wolf, a voice of trust that mortals will never be able to hear, and will never be qualified to hear.

Abaddon was caught in a vortex of nostalgia and slight resentment, and Horus slowly pushed open the door, which was fretted to the point of extravagance, and despite the Astartes' renovations, the shadows of the splendor and slackness of the past could still be seen.

There were already people waiting there, two of Horus's most trusted sons: Sejames, and Asimund, who of course was often referred to as "Little Horus" by his fighting brothers, because he was too similar to his genetic father.

Horus slowly walked to his seat, and only after his heirs were in place did he sit down slowly and announce the beginning of the meeting.

James, Abaddon, Togarton and Asimmond.

This is the most trusted brain of the wolf shepherd: the Council of the Four Kings.

——————

"From the end of the Battle of Sabis to now, four standard months have passed in Terra, according to intelligence, the Randan troops on the eastern front have not launched a new offensive, the Dark Angel is trying to move the battle line forward, and the casting world Xana has gradually transformed from the front line of the war to the supply center."

As always, Cyjames stood in the center of the room presiding over the meeting, and as one of Horus's favorite sons, the fourth company commander was the de facto second member of the Shadowmoon Wolf Legion.

[If I'm not mistaken, according to the information sent back last time, some groups in this casting world are dissatisfied with the rule of the Empire? 】

Sejames nodded, affirming his genetic father's inquiry.

[Yes, some of Shana's foundry bishops and priests think that they should not be too involved in the war between the empire and Randan, because in the past period of time, Xiana was the most core battlefield, and even directly landed by Randan's main army, so the losses were extremely heavy, which led to the dissatisfaction with the empire in this world. 】

"A bunch of short-sighted fools, wouldn't those aliens be here without us?"

Abaddon sneered disdainfully, and Horus kneaded his chin in thought.

[My brother Johnson, didn't he try to appease them? 】

"The Genoplasm of the First Legion did hold a meeting with Xana, but according to the information that came out, he did so through some comparisons...... Tough and direct means allowed the bishops to continue to serve the Empire. ”

Horus chuckled, and he quietly remembered the name of this casting world.

[Okay, let's go on.] 】

Sejames nodded.

The meeting then proceeded as usual, and everything seemed the same as usual: Horus himself seldom spoke or gave direct opinions, preferring to watch his chosen heirs argue and discuss, drawing on the sparkle of wisdom in their words.

And even if the Primordial personally finalized something, they would not let the Shadowmoon Wolves directly bow down to their orders, they would still insist on their opinions until Horus made them nod their heads with flawless logic and words, and in some extremely rare cases, the wisdom of the offspring would overcome his own genetic father, allowing Horus to cleanly admit that his plan was inadequate.

And in this beautiful atmosphere, their conversation stretched from the edge of the galaxy all the way to Holy Terra, and then to the places where the battle was currently most intense in the galaxy.

"It is said that the Thirteenth Legion has once again returned empty-handed."

Little Horus said in a sighing voice.

"All they found was an empty world, completely deserted, and it was most likely attacked and controlled by those Osiris Mind Holders until the last drop of blood was drained."

[My brother Killiman has taken those aliens who play with witchcraft as his own heart. 】

Horus's emotion was mixed with a chuckle.

[There is nothing wrong with sharing the humiliation of the past with his own legion and fighting side by side to wash it away, but Robert is always a little paranoid, he will always be stubborn when things are not going well, if it weren't for this shortcoming, he would probably be the greatest strategist in the galaxy, no one can compete with his terrifying calculation and coordination in the chessboard of the galaxy.] 】

The sentiment of another genogen was quickly overshadowed by a new topic of rudeness and recklessness, which was always inseparable from war.

"The Eleventh Legion just won a battle, yes, they won again, it is said that they severely damaged one of the battle moons of Ran Dan in a gang jumping battle, if it wasn't for the follow-up and didn't follow up in time, I'm afraid they could have repeated the glorious victory of the First Legion in the Sabis system."

Horus laughed.

[My brothers are always so good, so good that I even feel some pressure, maybe I should also apply to my father to let the legion go to the front line of Randan to get some merits, instead of doing nothing here and being blamed by those people behind their backs. 】

Laughter rang out in the room, and the four sons of Horus laughed casually, just as they cared no more about the so-called exploits and achievements, just as they did not care about the nameless and vicious rumors.

Since Horus decided to let the Shadow Moon Wolves stay here, they would comply, after all, it was known that the Wolf Shepherd was the Emperor's favorite heir, and he must have led his legions to sweep through the western part of the galaxy for some reason, so that he did not participate in the great battle with Ran Dan.

Everybody thinks so.

Except for Horus.

But no one could see the trace of anxiety flashing in his eyes.

"But there's one thing worth remarking, father."

James's words suddenly turned.

"Eleventh Legion...... It's already a bit too much to break into Randan's zone of control, and I can understand that this is because their battle line is followed by the Sun Star Field and Holy Terra, but this is inevitably too risky, the [Sorcery Killer] has always refused to fight alongside the other legions, and he may lack strong enough flank cover. ”

He always did. 】

Horus didn't have much to worry about.

[The strength of the Eleventh Legion is sufficient to cope with such a scene and attrition, and although my brother lives in isolation, he always has incredible strength, and they are the only ones who can defeat them. 】

"But...... Father, the Eleventh Primordial rarely even carries the mortal auxiliaries, and according to intelligence, the Eleventh Legion has cleansed a large number of human worlds that had been controlled by Ran Dan on the grounds of pollution, which violates the preparation and laws required for long-term warfare. ”

【…… It's a problem, and maybe I should have reminded him, but I'm not sure he'll take my advice seriously. 】

"Ignore the power of mortals."

Abaddon smiled contemptuously.

"This is not a wise move, ignoring the power of those mortals will make a big mess."

Togarton's eyes widened.

"Emperor, Ezekell, have you been taken away by anyone? Could it be that a really smart person has just taken over your body? ”

“…… Get lost! ”

Abaddon was a little irritable, and a little wanted to laugh.

"I just don't like those guys who don't go out of the door in the general staff, those so-called officers and commanders in the mortal army, many of them climb up by blood and relationships, they do have the ability, but their ability may not be worthy of that position."

"On the other hand, in the trenches, it is possible that there are people worthy of admiration, whose bayonets are just as deadly as their bullets in some special circumstances, and I can tell the difference."

Abaddon's voice was a little low, a little babbling, mixed with the occasional interjections and discussions between Togardon and Horus Jr., which soon turned into an argument mixed with memories and battles, and Horus didn't bother with it, leaning back in his seat and watching his children debate with each other, which was pleasing to the eye.

Then, he looked up and felt a little stunned.

In the dark, he seemed to think of something, but when he concentrated, he couldn't remember it.

In a trance, he could only be sure that he had just thought of one of his brothers, the commander of the Eleventh Legion.

What do you want him to do?

What else could happen?

Horus blinked, and an inexplicable sense of unease slowly welled up in his heart.

But in the end, he put that feeling down.

(End of chapter)