He was a Blood Angel, a son of Sanguinius, and a member of the Angels of Repentance.
Once, their name was the Crimson Angels, created during the Ninth Founding using the gene-seed of the Ninth Legion. Their homeworld, Marpeth, was also the ninth world of a toxic star, and the essence of that toxic star was also nine.
Nine, what a sacred number. The Ninth Legion, the Ninth Son, the Ninth Planet, the Ninth Star. Perhaps this was why they received their enlightenment.
They once fell into foolish painting, indulgence, art, and the calligraphy taught to them by the White Scars, using these methods to resist the Black Rage and the Red Thirst.
This almost made their Chapter the least affected by the Black Rage and Bloodthirst among the son Chapters of Sanguinius.
But this was wrong, this was a fall, a folly, a betrayal of Sanguinius.
It wasn't until nearly a century ago, when Chapter Master Vaul led the First Company, most of the Librarians, and the Captains on an Expedition, leaving only the Chapter's Priests to oversee the Chapter, that they returned to the righteous path.
The Prophet arrived beside the Chapter Monastery, cold, toxic river water lapping at the banks, washing the Prophet ashore next to the Monastery.
The Prophet was as thin as a shriveled corpse, yet almost as tall as an Astartes, with a deep scar on his abdomen. Despite soaking in the toxic river water for such a long time, his eyes still sparkled with vitality.
This Prophet conversed with the Priests for nineteen days and nights, eventually bringing the Stygian Enlightenment to the sinful Crimson Angels.
As stated in the Thirteenth Psalm of the Prophet's *Thorn Covenant*: "Beauty will blind the beholder, beguiling their eyes with its grace or splendor, and tempting their hearts with promises of hope. These two are forged by the Great Enemy; those who cherish beauty are no different from flirting with corruption, and those who weave, spread, and display hope are the foremost of heretics."
Indeed, they were deeply sinful people, they were defiled and lowly people, but fortunately, the Prophet gave them salvation.
They smashed the artworks they had once forged with their own hands, burned the paintings with fierce fire, shattered the artifacts, and coated their Power Armor with blackened tar.
The Chief Librarian attempted to resist the Prophet's truth, but was ultimately purged as a heretic.
Finally, the former Crimson Angels crowned themselves with thorns, becoming the Angels of Repentance.
And now, their repentance was finally answered.
Sanguinius had returned. Another Blood Angels successor Chapter, the Crimson Angels, brought news that Sanguinius had been resurrected in the Blood Pools of their homeworld, Corinal.
And the Thorn Angels were about to heed their call, journeying to Corinal to receive the Blessing of Blood.
His only regret was for the Angels of Repentance companies that had gone to Baal. Those poor fellows had probably been devoured by the Tyranids and wouldn't have the chance to witness Sanguinius' return.
But just as they were about to depart for Corinal to receive the Blessing of Blood, a fleet of unknown origin suddenly surrounded their homeworld, Marpeth.
A group of terrifying, twisted monsters emerged from their ships, rampaging across their homeworld; even their Monastery was surrounded.
And the calls for aid that the Angels of Repentance sent to the Imperium received no reply.
He roared and charged at the largest monster.
How terrifying that monster was, as if formed from rolling blood and pitch-Black Rage, hideous and grotesque, with ugly scars on its body, from which the blasphemous evil power of the Warp constantly surged.
But he would not retreat, because behind him was the Prophet's dwelling, and as the Chief Priest, he had to protect the Prophet—
The Spear of Accomplishment gleamed with a silver chill, its tear-shaped spearhead piercing his chest.
Sulfur-smelling blood flowed from his chest.
The deception and mist that covered his eyes vanished in a blink, and joyous mockery cackled in his ears.
Out of malice, the Chaos God who had blinded him dispelled the mist from his eyes in the last moments before his death.
Allowing him to see the truth, to see what grave errors he had committed.
The Spear of Accomplishment was gently withdrawn. Beneath the head covering woven from fine golden chains was hair more dazzling than gold, but the face beneath the long hair held only sorrow.
"Father." The Chief Priest of the Angels of Repentance cried out in sorrow, his body falling heavily to the ground.
Sanguinius lowered his gaze slightly, looking at the twisted face of the Chief Priest of the Angels of Repentance.
He looked like an ugly, mutated bat, with upturned cheeks, protruding fangs, no eyelids, and eyes almost completely blood-red. A ring of black thorns was coiled around his narrow forehead, piercing into his flesh.
"He is more deeply mutated than we were in the beginning," an Astartes in silver and red Power Armor standing beside Sanguinius exclaimed, clicking his tongue.
He was the last of the former Blood Cavaliers Battle Group, and after receiving Primaris reinforcements, became the Chapter Master of the new Blood Cavaliers Battle Group. In this battle, he had the honor of serving as Sanguinius' guard, along with two other Astartes.
Beside him, an Astartes in black armor had a pale, grim expression. He was Larian, the Reclusiarch of the Angels of Repentance, also a Captain of the Angels of Repentance. During the Battle of Baal, he was ordered to Baal to support Dante, thus escaping the terrible fate of his Chapter.
Even more grim-faced than Larian was Captain Finnie of the Crimson Angels. His Chapter, the Crimson Angels, was also among those successor Chapters that had never responded to Sanguinius' call, and from the information gathered so far, the Crimson Angels were likely the core of the corruption.
"This mutation is not the result of the flaw in our bloodline." Sanguinius sighed, saying, "This comes from the blasphemous curse of the Warp, from a shameful lie."
Sanguinius swung the Spear of Accomplishment in his hand, and the thick, heavy door before them was violently blasted open by Psyker power, shattered iron pieces crashing into the room like meteors.
But the tall, corpse-thin man with a grotesque wound on his abdomen in the center of the room remained expressionless, a mocking smile on his lips as he watched Sanguinius enter.
He was the so-called Prophet who had fraudulently manipulated the entire Angels of Repentance Chapter.
Larian, the Reclusiarch of the Angels of Repentance, tightly gripped his Power Sword, veins bulging on his face, and dark rage constantly swirling in his eyes.
If Sanguinius hadn't been present, Larian would probably have been consumed by rage and charged forward to tear the deceiver who destroyed his Chapter to shreds long ago.
Sanguinius' eyes reflected the figure of the so-called Prophet. Beneath the Prophet's mortal-like body, two colors, blood-red and constantly shifting blue, simultaneously flickered.
"Praise your arrival, Sanguinius! The Primarch whose destiny ultimately belongs to the two gods of Blood and Change!"
The Prophet twisted his body and bowed to Sanguinius.
"Has the Blood God fallen so low as to cooperate with the Lord of Change?" Sanguinius' lips moved slightly, questioning coldly.
"Have you not also fallen to another blue Chaos God full of lies? That one may not be more honest than the Lord of Change."
The Prophet smiled in response:
"The Blood God and the Lord of Change can now offer you a higher price. Two gods are always more capable of giving you more than an entity that has not yet truly become a god, aren't they?"
"The Lord of Change and the Blood God promise that if you are willing to become their joint Chosen, you will obtain everything you desire."
"They will truly heal your sons. You suppress their Black Rage by bearing the Black Rage of all your sons, but you cannot bear their Bloodthirst to suppress their Red Thirst, can you?"
"What's more, the Black Rage of your sons will not disappear; it will only continue to grow, and one day it will crush you."
"Your essence is rage, bloodshed, darkness, and pain. Why are you unwilling to accept it?"
"Isn't it better to accept our blessings than to linger on like this?"
The Prophet's words made the three Blood Angels accompanying Sanguinius tremble slightly.
After Sanguinius' return, the Black Rage was indeed curbed. Even those who fell into the Black Rage would not be consumed by it, but would achieve some kind of link and resonance with Sanguinius.
They had originally thought this was a natural consequence of Sanguinius' return, but it turned out to be because Sanguinius alone bore the Black Rage in the hearts of all his sons.
But Sanguinius himself showed a faint smile:
"All four of you once tempted me together, and I did not yield."
"Moreover, now there are only two of you left. Ultimately, it is you, the Chaos Gods, who are truly lingering."
"When He returns, your doomsday will come."
The Spear of Accomplishment was incredibly fast, piercing the chest of the so-called Prophet in a blink. The Prophet's body fell heavily, and the power of the Blood God and the Lord of Change parasitic in his body rapidly receded, his corpse shriveling in an instant.
Sanguinius gently placed his hand on the scar on his chest. Burning pain surged from it, but his expression remained unchanged. He only turned his head to look at Captain Finnie from the Crimson Angels: "Have the Crimson Angels still not responded to me?"
Finnie's body trembled slightly, and he shook his head violently.
He knew how deeply his brothers had fallen. During the Battle of Baal, they were even unwilling to support Dante, leaving Sanguinius' homeworld in danger. It was Finnie who privately took some companies to Baal to provide support. Now it seems, the other Crimson Angels have probably already—
Sanguinius lowered his gaze slightly, sighing with a hint of sadness.
"Finnie, from now on, you are the Chapter Master of the Crimson Angels."
"Larian, you as well. You are the Chapter Master of the Angels of Repentance—no, the Crimson Angels."
There was no excitement on the faces of the two Astartes, only pain and sorrow.
Sanguinius sighed, then gently closed his eyes, sensing that dream—
"Twenty-two thousand two hundred seventeen dreams."
"Attempt to contact the Dragon States."
"Eldar records migrating to the past."
"Successful contact."
"For the sake of being fellow countrymen, help a brother out!"
"'We will wait at the beginning of the universe.'."
"'Waiting for heat death and reset.'."
"Failure, retrying."
"Soon," Sanguinius said softly, his eyes slightly closed.