The Blood God's figure vanished into the dim yellow sky; he had promised Erebus help, but the form of this help was not entirely satisfactory to Erebus.
It was indeed a good source of assistance, but it would take some time to reach the planet Heroshima where Erebus was located.
Erebus was also unwilling to abandon the planet Heroshima and move to the location of that assistance right now.
The planet beneath his feet, having been tempered, sacrificed, and enchanted by him, had already become a terrifying planetary weapon, inhabited by countless daemons, and even four Chaos Beasts, cultivated from four sacrifices, were entrenched there.
To forge this planet, Erebus had spent most of his accumulations from the past ten thousand years, consuming a large number of blessings from the gods.
Even if a Primarch were to step onto this planet and fall into Erebus' trap, he would not fare well.
He only needed to wait here, waiting for Saint Doraemon to step onto the planet Heroshima himself, and he would be able to trap him there.
After that, it would be a matter of waiting for Luther and Typhus to meet and obtain that item.
Then he would re-summon the Fallen Angels scattered across the galaxy, gather them together, and lead them here.
Such a large-scale gathering of Fallen Angels would inevitably attract the Dark Angels' Fortress of the Rock, and the Fortress of the Rock held what Erebus needed.
Hmm... Once Saint Doraemon is trapped on this planet, he will then summon the assistance promised by the Blood God, and together with the Emperor's Children warband brought by Lucius, they will guard this star system and resist the Imperial forces coming to rescue.
In Erebus' view, the difficulty of this plan lay in resisting the Imperial rescue forces that would arrive later, resisting the attacks of two Primarchs, and perhaps even having to consider Nurgle's side...
This would require Luther to be fast enough; as long as Luther could bring back that item, bring back enough Fallen Angels in time, and attract the Fortress of the Rock, Erebus' plan would be unstoppable. That individual would be directly sent back to the past, to the altar, to receive bloody sacrifices, and ascend to godhood in the past...
On the edge of the former Eye of Terror, now amidst a turbulent Warp current,
Twisted, blasphemous, and filled with treacherous power, this domain raged. Blasphemous fly swarms burrowed in and out of the chaotic tides, and the stench of decay permeated the air. The ugly The 'Terminus Est' lay horizontally in the void.
This blasphemous capital ship was forged in the lunar shipyards in the past, far exceeding its counterparts in size and power, but also much more cumbersome and slow.
The Emperor bestowed this behemoth upon the Dusk Raiders Legion, and that legion would later have a louder and more cursed name—the Death Guard.
This colossal ship was the flagship of Nurgle's chosen, Typhus, corrupted by the boundless blasphemous power of Nurgle, transformed into an ugly and twisted form. Since the Great Heresy, it had committed countless atrocities, even once destroying a Raven Guard Gloriana-class Battleship, the 'Emperor's Shadow'.
Now, ten thousand years later, this ship was even uglier, with the malevolent Destroyer plague continuously spreading throughout this blasphemous vessel.
The ancient cabins were full of yellowish-brown rust, cracks were filled with rotting, putrid fungi, and the ground was covered with pustules and diseased, grayish-white fleshy membranes. Every few steps, Luther would see a distorted human face fused with the cabin, baring their decaying, crooked teeth.
Those were the former crew members of The 'Terminus Est', now trapped and merged with The 'Terminus Est'.
Luther lightly waved his hand, dispelling the flies that tried to dive at him, while the Fallen Angels accompanying him simply swung their swords, killing the giant insects, each as large as a human head.
"Don't be so rough, my brothers."
"These are pets raised by my friend; we are guests."
Luther said to his brothers, whom he had re-gathered around him.
In these days, relying on the ability to move through shadows granted by that entity, and guided by Erebus' prophecy and the call in his own bloodline, he had continuously gathered Fallen Angels around him, now reaching the size of nearly a warband.
Of course, this was far from enough. Half a legion, formerly stationed on Caliban, had been swept into the tides of Chaos, scattered throughout the galaxy. According to Erebus' calculations, Luther needed to gather at least twenty to thirty thousand Fallen Angels, a legion-sized force.
Facing Luther's reprimand, some of the dozen or so Fallen Angel brothers accompanying him showed dissatisfaction.
"He is your brother, Luther, not ours."
A warrior in black armor with a Dreadwing mark on him said in a low voice:
"You promised us salvation, you promised to resurrect the Primarch, you promised to wash away our sins. That's why we follow you."
"I hope what you are doing now is related to this."
"Of course, my brother." Luther gently nodded, and whispered to the warrior: "Everything is for the Lion, for Caliban."
"We are here to find Caliban's sister."
Caliban's sister? This phrase confused all the Fallen Angels present.
Caliban was the homeworld of the Dark Angels; where would a planet get a sister?
But Luther merely smiled without speaking, leading the Fallen Angels to the bridge of The 'Terminus Est'.
On the command throne, Luther's friend from the Great Crusade era, Typhus of the 14th Legion, was seated on the bridge.
If it weren't for his festering body, swollen physique, and the constant emergence of flies and maggots from within him, Luther would probably have been more willing to embrace him.
But what attracted Luther's gaze more than his friend was a small asteroid, almost the size of a mountain, suspended high above the bridge of The 'Terminus Est'.
But that asteroid was alive, composed entirely of the flesh and blood of some unknown creature, throbbing like a heart.
Luther could feel the power within it...
"I really didn't expect to see you again now, Luther." Typhus twisted his head and looked at Luther, saying: "You look pretty good."
"Typhus, you also..." Luther hesitated: "You don't look so good."
Not only because Typhus was covered in decay, but also because there were some hideous wounds and burn marks on his body.
Typhus' expression suddenly twisted.
That bastard Mortarion, using him as a banner was one thing, but he even set him on fire, what a beast.
"Mortarion betrayed me."
Typhus said in a muffled voice:
"He used crooked ways to entice Nurgle, leading Nurgle astray and making him believe in a cult."
"..Pfft." A few Fallen Angels accompanying Luther couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Whether it was Mortarion betraying Typhus, or Nurgle believing in a cult, both were inexplicably amusing.
Even Luther was a bit silent; he couldn't quite understand Typhus' reasoning.
Mortarion was his father, his Primarch. Luther could somewhat understand Typhus condemning Mortarion for betraying him, after all, he had done similar foolish things.
But for Typhus to condemn Nurgle, to condemn the god he worshipped for being enticed by crooked ways and believing in a cult, seemed a bit too abstract, didn't it?
"Let's make a long story short."
Typhus heard the laughter, and his tone became a little somber:
"I took a great risk coming here. Even if Erebus promised that Tzeentch would obscure my fate, and even if the plagueheart could obscure my movements to some extent, my risk is still very great."
"This is the plagueheart; you can take it away."
Typhus pointed to the pulsating, fleshy planet suspended above his head.
Luther's mouth curved into a smile.
Although called the plagueheart, this artifact was not a creation of Nurgle's great power, but a unique creation discovered by the Death Guard on a demon world, possessing extraordinary power. However, for a long time, even Typhus did not know what this artifact truly was...
But Luther knew the true nature of the plagueheart from Erebus' mouth: it was one of the three artifacts forged by the Old Ones.
The plagueheart, the Tuqiaocha Engine, and the ouroboros.
The plagueheart was discovered by Typhus after the Great Heresy and has been in his hands ever since.
The Tuqiaocha Engine was discovered by Lion during the Great Heresy, and is now on the Rock.
And the ouroboros, the ouroboros has always been with the Dark Angels...
The day the three artifacts reunite will be the Day of Atonement...
Erebus prostrated himself on the altar, feeling the rhythm of the entire planet.
Crystals grew from the ground, twisting and writhing into a treacherous labyrinth, as giant bird-like beasts made of shattered mirrors constantly crawled.
plague spread through the forest, rotten fruits hung from the branches of giant trees, and mushroom-shaped behemoths roared, spreading spores.
In the luxurious bedchamber, the mixed scents of various drugs permeated the air, and obscene minotaur-like serpent-bodied beasts let out alluring moans.
Finally, a hundred-armed, twisted behemoth, entrenched amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, angrily craved slaughter.
Come quickly... Come quickly... My new master...
Erebus devoutly prostrated himself before the Chaos Eight-Pointed Star on the altar.
Now, four points on the Eight-Pointed Star were lit, one point flickered between lit and unlit, and the other three remained dim and unclaimed.
This was largely because the gods were destined to be born in sequence; this was fate, an inevitable occurrence that no sentient being could prevent.
Corruption and Erosion, Mindless Slaughter, Hellish Storms, Ecstatic Sensation,
Erosion and Destruction, Malicious Art, Greedy Dissolution, Unstable Distortion,
All gods have their order, all gods have their place.
But now, the position of Erosion and Destruction was occupied by the Emperor; he occupied it yet never ascended to godhood, so the masters of the remaining three positions would never be born.
But now, Erebus had seized this opportunity, the opportunity to set the Chaos Eight-Pointed Star in motion.
Come quickly, come quickly, my new master—
Just then, Erebus looked up with immense joy.
He felt it; his master had arrived.
A red-pink wooden door appeared on the planet Heroshima, though it was quite a distance from Erebus.
The wooden door creaked open, and a round hand reached out, holding something...
"Ta-da!"
"Earth Destruction Bomb!"