Titus bowed his head slightly, showing respect to his gene-father.
"My Lord, I am no longer a Captain. I am now merely a Blackshield warrior of the Deathwatch."
"To my knowledge, the current Captain of the Second Company is Cato Sicarius, and he is an excellent commander."
"You will always be an Ultramarines, Captain Titus."
Roboute Guilliman did not stop writing, but merely looked up at Titus and said, "Now, tell me, my son, why have you not returned to your brothers?"
"I have repeatedly defied the Codex Astartes. I was once immersed in the Warp's corrupting energies, and the Inquisitor deemed me to have suffered some form of corruption."
Titus truthfully told the Primarch:
"I believed I was a disgrace to the Ultramarines, unworthy of bearing the name of Ultramarines any longer."
"Therefore, I chose to become a Deathwatch, to hunt xenos until death."
"My child, a fallen Inquisitor has no right to strip you of your honor, much less the fact that you are my excellent progeny," Roboute Guilliman said sternly to Titus, stopping his pen for three seconds. After speaking, he resumed his work.
Titus' heart, which had been lowered, suddenly skipped a beat. Even with a will as unyielding as his, he was moved by the Primarch's words.
"Demetrius Titus, are you willing to once again bear the name of Ultramarines, to serve the Imperium, and to fight for humanity?" Guilliman asked Titus.
"It is my duty, my Lord," Titus said, "Whatever duty you bestow upon me, I swear in the Emperor's name to fulfill it, and never to disgrace the name of Ultramarines."
"Very good. Do you know what duty I will give you? This is a duty that must be done by you. You are as resolute as steel, have shown excellent resistance to the Warp, and at the same time, you are flexible enough to act according to the actual situation. These are all necessary conditions to complete the duty I will give you."
Titus pondered for a moment, then raised his hand and asked, "Is it for the Indomitus Crusade, my Lord? Do you need me to serve the Indomitus Crusade fleet?"
This was what he knew from public information: the Indomitus Crusade was about to begin, and Roboute Guilliman would personally lead the Indomitus Crusade fleet to reclaim the sacred territories of the Imperium.
Perhaps the Primarch hoped he would serve the Indomitus Crusade? To participate in the mission of reclaiming the sacred territories of the Imperium.
Roboute Guilliman shook his head, denying Titus' idea.
"Could it be the Imperium Nihilus Expedition?" Titus thought for a moment and asked again.
This was the other side of the Indomitus Crusade. Sanguinius would go to the Imperium Nihilus on the other side of the Great Rift, centered on Baal, to reclaim those areas that could not be illuminated by the Astronomican's light.
This was a more difficult task, as the Primarch had said, requiring an unyielding will, resistance to Chaos corruption, and flexible adaptability.
But Guilliman still shook his head, denying Titus' idea, which left Titus somewhat confused.
"You should already know Saint Doraemon, right?"
Facing Guilliman's question, Titus nodded slightly.
"He comes from the 22nd century, favors the number twenty-two, and uses twenty-two as his holy number."
When saying this, Guilliman's expression was actually a bit strange, but Titus did not notice.
Every time a holy number was mentioned, Guilliman couldn't help but think of Mortarion, the great sage and master of numerology.
"So, Saint Doraemon also has twenty-two personal guards, and he has chosen you as one of them."
To serve as Saint Doraemon's guard?
Where did this task require an unyielding will? Where did it require resistance to corruption? Where did it require flexible adaptability?
Guilliman felt that this task certainly required an unyielding will, resistance to corruption, and flexible adaptability.
Without an unyielding will, one would be driven mad by Alexander's mouth; without resistance to corruption, one couldn't withstand the enemies around Alexander and those Alexander had to deal with; and without flexible adaptability, one would inevitably be unable to resist trying to kill Alexander.
Although he didn't understand why his gene-father would give him this task, Titus still expressed his doubts earnestly:
"My Lord, this is an important and crucial task. Should it really be entrusted to me?"
"Do you think your abilities are not up to the task?" Guilliman asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"No, my Lord, I just believe that such a crucial position should not be given to someone with a blemish like me, someone who might be influenced by the Warp."
Titus said this entirely out of reason and deliberation.
He knew the importance of Saint Doraemon, and serving as Saint Doraemon's guard meant becoming the person closest to Saint Doraemon.
Therefore, it would be best to choose someone completely unblemished, without any suspicious points.
Someone with obvious suspicious points like Titus should not hold such a position.
"I believe that the purity, loyalty, and sanity of that lord's personal guards should be completely assured, without the slightest doubt," Titus said.
".." Guilliman looked at Titus, his pen stopping.
Pure, loyal, sane, without the slightest doubt… Alexander's own chosen personal guards…
"I am concerned I am not pure enough, my Lord." Titus, seeing Guilliman silent, humbly lowered his head and said.
You are at least purer than Khorne, aren't you?
Guilliman did not utter these words.
The Light Lord was a magnificent and splendid vessel, lying in orbit above Terra, like a golden, sacred palace.
The original owner of this Emperor-class battleship was the flagship of the legendary Solar Lord Macarius of old.
That greatest Solar Lord in history, in a mere seven years, from the 392nd to the 399th year of the 41st Millennium, reclaimed a thousand worlds as a mortal and campaigned all the way to the galactic rim, the edge of the Astronomican's light.
After his death, he was canonized by the Adeptus Ministorum, and his flagship, the Light Lord, was retired from active service and sent to Macarius' homeworld, Macaria, where it was refitted to navigate both within and outside the atmosphere, forever suspended above Macarius' tomb.
It was said that not long ago, the flagship prepared by Mars for Saint Doraemon was damaged due to the rebellion of the former Director of the Adeptus Administratum, and shortly thereafter, the new Pontiff of the Adeptus Ministorum saw a vision of Saint Macarius in a dream.
Macarius declared that, in accordance with the Emperor's will, he would bestow his flagship, the Light Lord, upon Saint Doraemon, hoping this massive vessel could provide him assistance.
Thus, the Battle Sisters went to Macaria, brought the Light Lord back to Terra, and it became Saint Doraemon's new flagship.
Titus did not yet know whether this was legend, religious propaganda, or fact, but this magnificent vessel certainly left a deep impression on him.
Sometimes Titus would have a strange illusion; he would feel that the machine spirit of this vessel was exceptionally passionate, and there seemed to be remnants of Macarius' own will within it.
This made Titus feel a little worried.
Although Lord Guilliman said Titus didn't need to worry about his purity, standing on such a pure and noble voidship, Titus inevitably recalled the suspicions he had once faced, and how he had once been bathed in the Warp's torrents.
From a strict point of view, he was clearly not pure enough.
And the warriors he was about to face, his fellow chosen twenty-two of Doraemon, must all be carefully selected, loyal, pure, and noble warriors. Titus felt he might seem a bit out of place.
He might even be viewed with caution and suspicion by his colleagues—this he could only prove his loyalty through his actions, which was what he excelled at.
Following the guidance, Titus arrived before the bridge of the Light Lord.
At a glance, he saw the massive figure guarding the bridge door.
It was a Dreadnought painted as black as the abyss, with its left shoulder painted metallic blue, and a small propeller attached to the iron coffin of this deceased warrior.
Clearly, this ancient warrior was also one of Saint Doraemon's twenty-two personal guards, a colleague of Titus—
Titus heard a rumbling whooshing sound.
In an instant, that black Dreadnought flew to Titus' front at a speed of at least eighty kilometers per hour, hovering in mid-air.
Titus looked up at the Dreadnought, bewildered and confused.
He considered himself a person with strong adaptability and an understanding of flexibility, but…
But how in the hell could a Dreadnought fly in the sky?!
"Ultramarines kid! Look at Kaso!"
A rumbling sound came from the Dreadnought's large loudspeaker, deafeningly loud:
"Tell Kaso who you are! Otherwise, uncle Kaso will thoroughly smack your Ultramarines butt with his Storm Claws!"
"Kaso, don't scare him, he's one of us." A voice suddenly came from behind Titus, like a ghostly raven's cry, sending a chill down Titus' spine.
He turned his head slightly and saw a Space Marine, clad in power armor as black as raven feathers, holding a sniper rifle in both hands, and with two black dual-blades hanging from his waist, standing less than half a meter away from him, he knew not when.
And Titus had barely noticed him...
"Kaso is worried another young man hiding his identity is here!"
"The last one who hid his identity was you, and you still haven't told us who you are!"
"The one before that, ha, was that guy Khârn!"
The Dreadnought rumbled.
Khârn?
Titus was slightly stunned.
Khârn the Betrayer?
No, how could this be? It must just be a coincidence of names...
Titus shook his head slightly, dismissing the absurd idea in his mind.
"I am just an ordinary Raven Guard. That lord simply asked me to conceal my identity."
The Raven Guard holding the sniper rifle replied to Kaso, then turned to Titus and said:
"The Lord is receiving... receiving a guest and a consultant, but He also said that once you arrive, you can go straight in, no need to wait."
Titus performed an aquila salute in thanks, then gently pushed open the door and entered the bridge.
Then, Titus saw...
He saw a blue Space Marine with the Thousand Sons mark, inscribed with countless blasphemous sorcerous runes, holding a black staff.
Furthermore, several hideously twisted and terrifying daemons stood on the bridge, seemingly summoned and bound there...
"…" Titus felt he might have accidentally been swept into the Warp by a small Warp storm.