In the early days, when not all the Primarchs had returned, the fleet was divided into three parts, commanded respectively by Horus Lupercal, Primarch of the XVI Legion, the Luna Wolves; Ferrus Manus, Primarch of the X Legion, the Iron Hands; and the Emperor of Mankind himself.
As the remaining Primarchs were found one by one, the Emperor of Mankind handed over these 20 Astartes Legions to be commanded by their respective Primarchs.
And the Planets where the Primarchs had grown up became the subsequent home Worlds and recruitment grounds for these Legions.
Now, in addition to the Space Marine Legions, the expeditionary fleets also carried various types of armed forces.
There were the gene-enhanced warriors even more elite than the Astartes Legions—the Emperor of Mankind’s personal guard; they were encased in shining golden armor, wielding powerful weapons, and were the Emperor of Mankind’s most direct sword.
There were also professional anti-Psyker units composed of Blanks, who possessed a natural immunity to psychic power and were the sharp blades against the Chaos Gods.
As well as the numerous Imperial Auxilia, specifically used to assist the Astartes Legions in operations; although they lacked the strength of Space Marines, they played an equally important role on the battlefield.
There were also the Titan Legions piloted and controlled by the Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus; these massive War Machines were like moving fortresses on the battlefield, invincible.
As the main force of the Great Crusade, every Astartes was the most direct weapon in the hands of the Emperor of Mankind and the Primarchs.
Although they were far from invincible, they were by no means mortal.
Space Marines were born for war, and they were as tough and efficient as the weapon they most commonly used—the Bolter.
The Bolter was a brutal ballistic firearm that fired.75 caliber self-propelled explosive ammunition, capable of inflicting terrible damage on targets.
Although it was not exclusive to Space Marines, the image of a Space Marine holding a Bolter had become a symbol of the Empire.
Wherever an Astartes appeared with a Bolter, there was smoke and blood raining from the sky.
Under the leadership of their Gene-father, these Legions unleashed even greater power.
The Primarchs began to reorganize their Legions according to their own tactical styles; some were adept at harassment, guerrilla warfare, and rapid assaults, while others preferred coordinated armored warfare.
Under the authorization of the Emperor of Mankind, the Primarchs commanded the tens of thousands of Space Marines under their command into battle.
Behind them were countless Imperial Auxilia and various powerful War Machines provided by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The Great Crusade lasted for nearly 200 years, and at its peak, the Empire had over 4,300 expeditionary fleets campaigning throughout the Milky Way Galaxy.
One World after another was “liberated” from the hands of tyrants and false rulers.
Those Xenos—Greenskins, Orks, Aeldari, and other factions—were also defeated by the powerful Imperial forces.
Many small alien races, whose names were already forgotten, disappeared forever in this grand crusade of humanity.
However, behind this glorious victory lay countless bones left behind by the Death of innumerable lives.
There were also some Worlds that were completely impossible to rebuild due to the high degree of genetic mutation in their populations, and they suffered devastating orbital strikes from the expeditionary fleets.
These Worlds vanished in an instant; countless living beings perished in flames and dust, their cries and despair ruthlessly drowned beneath the iron hooves of the Empire’s expansion.
This was a ruthless conquest, a glory bought at the cost of countless lives.
Under the banner of the Empire, every Planet was forcibly incorporated into the Empire’s territory, regardless of their wishes or their destiny.]
Marvel Universe
The tense atmosphere was like solidified air, almost suffocating.
In front of the huge screen, Steve Rogers, the former World War II hero and now the leader of the Avengers, clenched his fists, anger and despair interweaving in his eyes.
His deep, powerful roar echoed in the room: “Bastard!”
This shout was an accusation against those ruthless invaders, and also an expression of his anger at his own inability to stop all of this.
But then, Steve’s anger, like a flame extinguished by cold water, quickly turned into deep despair.
He slowly lowered his fists and squeezed his eyes shut, as if trying to block those terrible images from entering his mind.
The thing he feared most had finally happened; those Nazi ideologies once spurned by the World had returned in an even more cruel and ruthless manner.
The members of the Avengers looked at Steve in shock; they had never seen this steadfast leader so out of control.
Tony Stark, the genius inventor usually known for his humor and confidence, spoke with a voice full of unbelievable shock and dizziness: “Did the Captain just use a swear word?”
“Not a single word, Stark.”
Steve’s voice carried a warning, his gaze cold, as if telling Tony that now was not the time for jokes.
However, what shocked them even more was yet to come.
When they saw the expeditionary fleet conducting orbital strikes on a Planet still teeming with life, everyone’s faces turned pale instantly.
That destructive power, that ruthless trampling of life, left them feeling incomparably shocked and terrified.
“Did they just exterminate a Planet??”
Peter Parker asked, stuttering, his voice trembling, his eyes filled with disbelief.
“Yes, they did.”
Star-Lord’s voice was filled with confusion and loss; the destruction of this Planet reminded him of the video The Collector had once shown them regarding the Infinity Stones.
The millions of people who instantly turned to dust left him feeling a deep sense of helplessness and despair.
Thor also looked grim; even his father, Odin, that God King who had forcibly conquered most of the World Tree with fire and blood, had never taken the path of destroying an entire World, no matter how powerful the enemy.
Wanda Maximoff’s voice carried a plea: “Please tell me that was a World without life.”
Her thoughts instantly flashed back to the scene where she and Quicksilver were in their apartment when it was bombed; they were only 10 years old at the time.
That tragedy remained an unhealed scar in her heart to this day.
Everyone remained silent, but for them, that was enough.
They all began to curse in their own native languages, those words of anger and despair like sharp blades stabbing at the ruthless invaders.
Super God World
“I no longer know how to evaluate the humans of this World.”
“No matter which civilization’s morality you view it from, their actions are evil to the extreme.”
Hexi couldn’t help but sigh softly when she saw the Psykers being used as slave labor.
“Indeed, from our perspective, they are undoubtedly evil.”
“But they have no choice but to do so, don’t they?
Besides, compared to other alien powers, they are already much better.”
Keisha began to feel pity for the civilizations in that Universe; in such a vast Universe, one couldn’t even find a few normal civilizations.