Gazing across the boundless icy wastes of Scthenalus, blanketed only by snow and remnants of grey sand, two types of thoughts merged in my mind.
One was filled with melancholic reflections that such wild nature should have been left untouched, while the other analyzed approximately how much natural gas, oil, and other minerals might lie within the depths of this land.
But the general flow of ideas was also hindered by the overly joyous voice of my brother, who, along with his sons, had decided to conduct a joint training session with my Legion.
For now, we were only meant to practice the classic methods of warfare adopted in the Imperium and familiarize ourselves with their general rulebook.
However, instead of working through such useful points, Horus continued to distract me with all sorts of nonsense:
“…Come on, brother, just one spar! I’ve already fought Russ, and it was a truly incredible battle! He is very much like a wild beast—unstoppable and driven by natural instincts—but inside he has the core of a true knight! And Sanguinius didn’t refuse to measure his blade skills, either! There are still more than fifteen of your brothers left to find, and I want to create a tradition where each of us can show our mastery as a warrior. After all, it is the only way to show our sons that we are truly worthy of leading them!”
A smiling Horus simply exuded positivity and charisma capable of overriding the opinion of even the most strong-willed person.
His voice seemed to embody the ideal of how one should be projected—deep and melodic enough, yet thoroughly masculine and inspiring.
However, even he, with all his persuasive skills, could not make me do something so foolish and meaningless for nothing.
“Our role is to lead troops and manage them from afar, not to show off on the battlefield performing somersaults and making grand sweeps with sharp pieces of iron. Think for yourself: how many can you defeat with your blade or hammer on the field? A few thousand at most, if you exert yourself fully and take great risks. And how many can be defeated if we fulfill the roles assigned to us by our father? If we become commanders and generals directing armies against the enemies of mankind? Thousands of times more,” I replied with icy calm.
But Horus only shook his head, rolling his eyes slightly at my speech.
Yet as soon as I finished, he chuckled and snapped his fingers:
“Don’t worry, you’re unlikely to do me more harm than Russ did when he found out my Legion was the first to take the name of Wolves. I think I still have scars from his claws and fangs. If you defeat me, I will hand over some of the technology we acquired during the annexation of the last planet. It was a rather primitive world that had only just discovered steam technology and mass production, but some of their tech turned out to be surprisingly useful. Combat suits, too small for Astartes and suitable only for ordinary humans, which significantly increase strength and provide decent protection against kinetic projectiles. But the most interesting part is that it all runs on pure steam power! Something like that can’t fail to interest you.”*
Of course it couldn’t, because it shouldn’t be physically possible.
Steam technology fell into the past many millennia ago for a reason, and even if you try to squeeze the maximum out of it, any seeker will very quickly hit a wall.
Even I couldn’t fundamentally change everything…
although, if I think about it, a few improvements could be added.
If one doesn’t try to mold a steam analog of electricity but utilizes its inherent strengths, something interesting might emerge…
“Hmm, my people already have similar technology, but it would still be curious to see how the inhabitants of other planets implemented this using such primitive means. I might even be able to increase the efficiency of their existing machines,” more thoughts regarding the potential use of steam technology—accounting for maximum efficiency—entered my head, causing my previous certainty to fade from my voice.
“Fine, you’ve convinced me. Let us spar.”
Horus’s smile, remarkably, grew even wider.
“But since we’re going to fight seriously, with real stakes, let everything be fair. We fight without armor or any gadgets—let mastery alone choose the victor,” he replied happily, looking over my armor from head to toe.
Given that I am nearly half a meter taller than him in it, it’s no surprise he even had to tilt his head up.
And though such a proposal should have unsettled me, I only gave a calm nod.
Horus might consider himself clever, but the task of doing the actual thinking belongs to me.
“Fine. Shall we fight now to save time? We can summon our sons to provide them with a spectacle and show our capabilities. And since you were the one to challenge me to a duel, it is for me to choose the weapons. In that case, my choice is a fight without them—barehanded.”
Horus raised an eyebrow in surprise, glancing at me, but said nothing against it and simply nodded.
Then, I made a demonstrative sweep of my hand, and the world around us began to change as the living metal quickly receded from me, leaving me in light undergarments.
Entire waves of living metal came to life and began to take new forms, creating a worthy arena.
My brother watched the process with interest, and his Astartes were not far behind.
After all, some of my technologies are fantastical even for them.
During this time, I simply fed the necessary concepts to the program, which then erected them itself.
My construction software already contained hundreds of templates, allowing me to create a massive metal cage and giant bleachers around it in the shortest possible time.
Horus, meanwhile, dealt with regulating our armies and explaining what was about to happen.
Thanks to his skills, he was able to quickly distribute them to their proper places and head to our battlefield.
However, even before we arrived, my brother turned to me sharply and asked with confusion:
“But why a cage? Could you not have made something more elegant and noble?”
“The most convenient structure when it comes to the battle of beings our size. While not the most aesthetically pleasing, it is efficient enough to withstand our strikes and minimize collateral damage,” I replied, stepping inside. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
The walls, hastily created by nanites, parted to let us through and then immediately sealed again.
A few minutes later, after Horus had removed his armor and left his weapons, he followed me in.
As we moved to opposite sides of the cage, all our sons fell silent, for the preparation for battle had begun.
Obviously, he wanted to deliver some grand speech before the two Legions, but I simply didn’t give him the chance and began to silently prepare for the fight.
He immediately realized how serious I was and instantly switched into combat mode.
Taking a few steps to the side, we began to circle slowly, tracking the opponent’s every movement.
Horus watched my confident steps intensely, which ultimately saved him—I was the first to make a wide lunge forward and deliver the first strike toward his head.
And while it might have seemed like a harsh move, an attempt to hold back would only be an insult to a warrior of my brother’s level.
We both understood and acknowledged this.
Although I struck first, he proved faster.
Managing to dodge by a miracle at the very last moment, Horus immediately landed two blows to my torso.
They would have made even me falter for a moment, but it was nothing critical.
On the contrary, it was thanks to those two blows that an opening appeared, during which I struck his head with my elbow, followed by a knee to the torso that sent the Primarch flying.
Despite being much more agile than I, my fists could tear through steel and punch through rock like paper.
Thus, once I managed to knock him aside, I immediately pounced on him and began driving Horus into the ground.
And though I managed to knock the wind out of him and even hear the crunch of his bones, he was no simple politician; he was a true warrior.
A second later, he managed to jerk away from my fist, then kicked me in the chest during an intake of breath, which instantly sent my body backward, slamming me into the cage walls.
Following this, he lunged forward with lightning speed and began raining dozens of blows upon me, which I could only defend against by covering my head with my arms.
My brother moved with unhuman speed, making it difficult even for me to track his movements, let alone strike back.***
The chorus of voices shouting support for their leaders was also a significant distraction.
Thousands of Astartes voices from both Legions supported us.
Everyone understood there was no real conflict between Horus and me, but regardless, no one wanted to see their father lose.
It’s quite amusing when you look at the situation from this angle—children literally rooting for their parents as they clash in a bloody battle.
And while Horus was indeed good, when his twentieth blow landed on me, I managed to catch the right moment and strike him in the temple with my elbow.
He immediately slid back a few meters, but my finishing fist, meeting his face, brought the battle to an end.
While these blows could easily kill an ordinary human, my brother proved far tougher.
Flying toward the other wall of our cage, I concluded our confrontation with a final strike to the chest that caused the Primarch to double over and fall to the ground.
It took him a few seconds to recover, but when he looked around, he met my hand extended downward to help him up.
“Fine, I admit, you and Russ have something in common—you both hit with everything you’ve got right from the start. But I must admit, I haven’t had this much fun in a long time,” he replied with a smile, wiping away blood.
After that, Horus shook my hand and I helped him to his feet.
He then looked over our Legions, who were now shouting joyful slogans and celebrating the victory of one of the Emperor’s sons.
Though some were disappointed that their Primarch hadn’t won, everyone understood the nature of a simple training match between two forces that would have to work together many more times for the benefit of mankind.
And so, we were met by the joyful cries of thousands of Astartes, capturing a truly historic event.
“I agree, it was an excellent fight,” I replied with a chuckle.
I’m not sure how pure my father’s motives are, but Horus truly looks like the real hero humanity deserves.
For a man like him, one could march straight into the abyss.
Despite our state encountering representatives of a civilization spread across thousands of planets, the changes did not immediately affect the residents of my Empire.
After all, when it comes to changes of such magnitude, the long work of the administrative machine, coupled with a less than lightning-fast infrastructure, is to be expected.
Thus, there was time to deal with all the important, if not quite heroic, things that interested Horus so much.
He was undoubtedly skilled at leading empires and excelled in the intricacies of politics, which is why he assisted our father, yet he had no desire to stay in one place for too long. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
He wished to annex more worlds to the Imperium and return humanity to its former glorious state; thus, after a couple of months of communication, he left the planet along with our father to continue conquering the Milky Way.
Only my sons remained, falling entirely under my command.
With their help, we cleared the last resisting pockets of the planet, which included some of the largest and most dangerous machines, and gradually became acquainted with one another.
It was necessary to understand the character of the men upon whose actions the lives of many billions would depend.
I also conducted extensive examinations and had my sons meet with the residents of the Towers, gradually and carefully instilling in the people’s minds the idea that the Imperium was not a group of invaders, and that we were all part of one state.
Part of these efforts included news regarding the commencement of new colossal construction projects.
Not only was the planetary network project—intended to link all towers into one grid via thousands of railways—finally planned for completion, but the final repair of Telstarax was also intended, which would become the new forge for void-ships and the base of my Legion.
I had to heavily sugarcoat the good news with recent events to avoid a catastrophe.
Every day, I spent time talking with influential commanders and earning their loyalty—showing in every way that I was interested in the lives of my sons and doing everything in my power to guarantee their survival.
And though I didn’t have Horus’s charisma, the blood tie and the aura of a Primarch smoothed over all the rough edges.
During my work, the first attempts to link Imperium technologies and my own developments with the strange machines of the Precursors began, though this was no quick task.
Every bolt had to be checked before creating new marvels of engineering thought.
Moreover, other state affairs significantly distracted me from such matters, and the latest medical checkup of my sons took an even larger chunk of my time.
During standard examinations, samples of my sons’ DNA were gathered by my nanites.
I suspected there was a possibility of hidden or forged data for various reasons, so I personally took charge of the matter—and as it turned out, not in vain.
Checking the genetic code of my sons revealed very interesting things.
Putting aside the fact that Astartes can hardly be called human due to the number of changes in their genetic code and the total number of additional organs granting insane abilities like absorbing memory by eating brains—one element disturbed me the most.
The fact was that one of the Storm Walkers turned out to be a spy.
His genetic code differed significantly from all my other Astartes and had nothing in common with me at all.
Still a Space Marine, he clearly belonged to another Legion.
Yet his appearance and entire background belonged exactly to one of the marines for whom the most trusted and loyal individuals to me—like the Master or unit heads—had vouched.
And this raised an interesting question: who had sent him to us?
Diving fully into the investigation, I managed to obtain hair and other carriers of genetic code from Horus’s sons, which allowed me to confirm only one fact: the spy was not connected to him.
And since I lacked DNA samples from my other brothers, I had to play blindly and take risks.
There were two options: leave the threat and observe his actions, tracking where he would transmit information, or attempt to seize him and interrogate him with prejudice.
Both methods had their risks and benefits, but deciding on one was physically difficult.
For one thought kept spinning in my head—if he is connected to another of my brothers, that brother is unlikely to be pleased if I crack open his son’s skull.
And if his task is specifically to deal with the secrets of my father and the Imperium, it is hard to even imagine the harm he could do me if he becomes my enemy.
Therefore, I will have to play real games to unravel the thread of this intrigue.
* Strangely enough, such technology really exists in the Imperium.
These steampunk combat suits are used by only one world, which supplied them to the Imperial Guard.
The Mechanicus consider it too primitive, but the performance of the power armor itself is quite decent.
And yes, the original Ferrus loved fighting so much that he literally built a cage where Primarchs could fight each other without altering the landscape around them.
Few agreed, but nonetheless, he fought Russ and Fulgrim there.
*** Though many forget this, Horus didn’t become the leader of the Primarchs and the second person in the galaxy—nearly equal to his father and in many ways even surpassing him—for no reason.
A brilliant strategist who annexed more planets than anyone during the Crusade (via classic methods, not like Alpharius), the greatest orator and leader compared to whom even Roboute was a cramped, quiet nerd, and one of the best warriors among his brothers—Russ himself admitted he and Horus were equals in blade skill.
Nor should it be forgotten that in the end, he proved stronger than the Emperor, killing him several times and dying only by his own will, simply because he didn’t want to deal with the Chaos Gods.
The strongest being in the entire material world—that is who Horus Lupercal is.