At the zenith of the Great Crusade, the War Gryphon Titan Legion stood as a Tier 1 military force, boasting an impressive 176 Titans, making it one of the most formidable legions of its time.
"We've struck gold," Swain thought, a smile playing on his lips as he observed Archmagos Kroll and Corax discussing plans for Deliverance and Kiavahr. Griffin IV, established during the Dark Age of Technology, had not only survived the Age of Strife but thrived. It was immensely powerful and, crucially, not far from the Dark Raven Guard, with both located in the Storm Sector.
Griffin IV was incomparably richer than Kiavahr; supporting the transformation of Deliverance and Kiavahr would be a mere trifle for them. The star sector belonging to Griffin IV contained eight mineral-rich star systems, all of which were the private property of this Forge World.
Ten millennia later, this very Forge World found itself in the path of the Leviathan Hive Fleet. The incredibly resolute Archmagos of Griffin IV, after transferring some critical technical data, chose to meet the Tyranids in a fierce clash of steel and flesh. Unfortunately, vastly outnumbered, Griffin IV ultimately became a Dead World. However, their story didn't end there; the Magi and Tech-Priests who survived the conflict with Leviathan found a new world within the Imperium and successfully re-established it as a new Forge World.
The unyielding resilience of Griffin IV's warriors was undeniable. Even without an STC production template, they managed to remain a powerful Forge World, a truly admirable feat in the fanatical Imperium of the 41st millennium.
Swain didn't participate in Corax and Archmagos Kroll's strategic discussion regarding Deliverance. He had already settled this matter with Corax earlier; his sole requirement was the establishment of a comprehensive education system on Deliverance and in all future worlds conquered by the Dark Raven Guard. He and Corax would serve as headmasters, leaving Corax free to manage all other details as he saw fit.
Why was Ultramar's Five Hundred Worlds so effective at generating troops? Consider this: after losing two-thirds of his legion's primary force, Guilliman issued an order, and the Ultramarines instantly mustered 200,000 blue-armored warriors to march toward Terra. Other legions, suffering such heavy losses, would typically take at least a century or two to recover. In fact, some legions, ten thousand years later, didn't even have their own successor chapters. The disparity was simply absurd.
Compared to Ultramar's complete conscription system, those of most other legions were a joke. Many relentlessly exploited their homeworlds to the point of rebellion, a common occurrence. Slightly more organized legions would establish temporary recruitment points in conquered worlds or set up a few additional recruitment worlds.
The ambitious Thirteenth Primarch, however, operated differently. Each of Ultramar's Five Hundred Worlds boasted a complete education system, and most terrifyingly, this system was directly linked to their conscription process. It's humorous, but people genuinely believe the Great Ultramar Sector only comprises five hundred worlds, don't they? The "Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar" is merely shorthand for five hundred core worlds; how truly vast it is, perhaps only Guilliman himself knows.
Soon, Swain shifted his thoughts away from the planning for Deliverance . With the Emperor's arrival, Corax's time on Deliverance had entered a countdown. The Emperor couldn't afford to waste several years here, and neither could Swain. He had already promised the Emperor to expedite the retrieval of the Primarchs. His next step was to take the Emperor to retrieve another Primarch also located in the Storm Sector. Although he didn't particularly care for this individual, leaving early might still alter some fated events.
Of course, he would only dare to undertake this task with the Emperor acting as a super enforcer. Going to "the fatty's" doorstep to retrieve someone and change predetermined events carried an unacceptably high risk. What? The Emperor would accompany him? Then there was no problem at all. Swain fully grasped the wisdom of "enjoying the shade of a big tree." Otherwise, he would avoid Barbarus, that dreadful place, at all costs.
The galaxy was already on the verge of becoming a cesspit, and Nurgle's Garden was the cesspit within the cesspit. Barbarus was at the very entrance to this cesspit. The Emperor's lost seventh Primarch, Mortarion, had landed on Barbarus, a death world steeped in toxic gases, and was adopted by the strongest xenos lord there.
"At this point in time, Mortarion should already be forming a resistance under the influence of Typhus, right?" Swain began to ponder his next actions and plans.
"If it weren't on the way, I really wouldn't want Mortarion to be the first one I look for. It should at least be Guilliman of Ultramar or the Archangel Sanguinius, who possesses absolute combat prowess among the Primarchs!" Swain constantly grumbled inwardly as he watched Corax and the Archmagos converse. As for why Guilliman and the Archangel? The reason is simple: Guilliman is quite wealthy, and the Archangel is the best fighter.
Just thinking of Guilliman's incredibly rich Ultramar and the future Five Hundred Worlds made Swain wish he could punch the Emperor twice more. This was the most suitable Primarch for Swain to align himself with!
"So Macragge is my second home!" Swain's heart was filled with longing for Macragge. Unfortunately, things were already set. It was already good enough that the old man of 40K could use his last remaining shred of humanity to save his own life; Swain had no right to be picky. The Emperor could just throw them based on his senses anyway; they would eventually meet the middle-aged Emperor of 30K, so where they were thrown ultimately didn't matter.
As for the Archangel, it was naturally because he was a formidable fighter. A full-strength Sanguinius could definitely take on three opponents. With such a Primarch around, what did Swain have to worry about?
"It doesn't matter. Corax is pretty good too, isn't he?" Swain smiled, seeing that the Crow King had already reached an agreement with the Archmagos of Griffin IV. With Corax around, at least the future birth of the Super Raven Guard would not be a problem.
Currently, Nekser was still slaughtering on Kiavahr, completely unbeknownst to the Crow King. Swain had Nekser blockade this information. By the time Corax finished his handover with the Imperium and looked back, it would be too late. Swain didn't intend to keep it from Corax indefinitely, just to slightly postpone it for an insignificant amount of time.
Swain's order to Nekser was not to kill anyone shorter than a mining cart wheel. Nekser executed this perfectly, placing the wheel flat on the ground as the reference. Swain was very satisfied; Nekser truly was his top general, not having been trained for so long in vain.
Nekser was also very particular about selecting personnel. Besides Swain's direct Shadow Assassins, those he brought were all native miners from Deliverance. As for the exiled political elites, not a single one was brought along. Did these political elites not know? They knew. Would they speak? Not a single person told Corax about the purge on Kiavahr. No one would be so foolish as to consciously stand against everyone on the very soil they needed to survive.
As for bleeding hearts? They don't exist in the Warhammer universe.