Chapter 125: Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [125]

The Primarchs! The Primarchs are indeed incredibly powerful, even appearing god-like to humans. But it is undeniable that Primarchs can be injured, killed, defeated, and even fall from grace. They are not perfect, flawless children of the gods. Kania began to carefully recall the clues from the Empire's history books and the secret histories passed down through his family's merchant dynasty for tens of thousands of years, connecting the pieces regarding the disappearance of the Primarchs. Several Primarchs have gone missing. Among them, the one most likely captured by the Dark Eldar is Jaghatai Khan. After the Horus Heresy, Jaghatai Khan traveled extensively to rescue Imperial warriors who had been captured by the Dark Eldar. During one such battle, he was sucked into the Webway and disappeared without a trace. The warriors of the White Scars firmly believe that their Primarch is still alive and is speeding through the Webway, cutting down Dark Eldar. However, many within the Empire doubt Jaghatai Khan is still alive. After all, the Webway is the domain of the Dark Eldar, who are notoriously cunning and cruel. Over the past ten thousand years, many Imperial rogue traders have ventured into the city of Commorragh, but none have found any information about the whereabouts of the Primarch Khan. Kania understood the power of those monstrous creatures. If faced alone against several such gigantic beasts, Jaghatai Khan would likely have been defeated. Therefore, it is most plausible that, countless years ago, some despicable Dark Eldar ambushed him in the Webway and captured him alive. Of course, aside from Jaghatai Khan in the Webway, other loyalist Primarchs have also gone missing: Leman Russ, the Space Wolves' Primarch, disappeared a few hundred years after the end of the Horus Heresy. During an Emperor's Ascension Day banquet on the Space Wolves' homeworld, he gave a speech, then left with his personal Wolf Guard and was never seen again. For ten thousand years, the Space Wolves have been searching for their Primarch. According to the last reports, Leman Russ ventured into the Eye of Terror in search of the mythical Tree of Life to resurrect the Emperor. He, too, may have been ambushed and captured by the cunning Dark Eldar, as the Eye of Terror is a place of great peril. Rogal Dorn, the Primarch of the Imperial Fists, disappeared after the Horus Heresy. During a battle, Dorn led an assault on the Chaos warship Sword of Desecration. He fought valiantly against countless Chaos Space Marines, but after the battle, only one of his hand bones was found on the ship. The Imperial Fists believe their Primarch could not have been defeated, killed, or captured by Chaos Space Marines, as the Primarchs' strength far surpasses ordinary Astartes, even those empowered by the Chaos Gods. Moreover, if Dorn had been defeated, killed, or captured, Abaddon the Despoiler would have used it as propaganda long ago, as such a victory would eclipse all twelve of his Black Legion combined. Thus, it is possible that Dorn was ambushed by the Dark Eldar, who are known for such opportunistic attacks after battles. Sanguinius, the Primarch of the Blood Angels, has definitively died in battle, so he is not part of this discussion. Ferrus Manus, the Primarch of the Iron Hands, was killed during the Horus Heresy at the Battle of Isstvan V by the traitor Primarch Fulgrim. Roboute Guilliman, the Ultramarines' Primarch, was mortally wounded when the traitor Primarch Fulgrim stabbed him in the throat with a daemon sword. He now lies in stasis on Macragge, protected by the Ultramarines. Lion El'Jonson, the Primarch of the Dark Angels, disappeared after the failure of the Horus Heresy. He returned to his homeworld, Caliban, where he fought the traitorous Dark Angels' leader Luther. Gravely wounded, he vanished without a trace. However, based on family records, Kania estimates that he is likely still sleeping beneath the Rock, the Dark Angels' fortress-monastery. Vulkan, the Primarch of the Salamanders, left his legion for unknown reasons after the Horus Heresy. During the Beast Wars, when the Empire was in peril, Vulkan reappeared to lead the counterattack against the Ork Warlord known as "The Beast." He fought to the death against the Beast but disappeared afterward. Many believe he died, but as an immortal being, Vulkan would eventually resurrect. Some speculate that his soul might have been taken by the Ork gods, Gork and Mork, which explains why he has not yet returned during the grim darkness of the 41st millennium. It is doubtful that Vulkan was captured by the Dark Eldar. Corvus Corax, the Primarch of the Raven Guard, entered the Eye of Terror alone after the Horus Heresy. Seeking to atone for his failures and avenge the Raven Guard who died on Isstvan V, he hunted the traitor Primarchs, demanding blood for blood. He, too, has not been heard from since. This one might also have been defeated and captured by the Dark Eldar. Then there are the missing 2nd and 11th Legions' Primarchs. However, there is no information about these two—every trace of their existence has already been erased by the Emperor. Finally, Kania came to a terrifying conclusion. Those despicable Dark Eldar... they, they might have captured more than one Primarch! The more Kania thought about it, the more frightened—and excited—he became. As if the mystery that had plagued the Imperium for millennia was about to be unraveled by him: the secret behind the disappearance of the Primarchs? No, this won't do! When he returns, he must immediately conduct a genetic analysis of his warriors to see if their genes match those of the missing Primarchs. "Mr. Kania, what are you thinking about so intently? Are you alright?" Rhodes asked, looking at Kanai with a strange expression. What's up with this guy? One moment he's sweating profusely, the next he's trembling, then his expression is filled with rage, and suddenly he's overjoyed. He's practically a master of facial expressions! "Haha! Lord Loki, I'm just so happy. I didn't expect you to prepare a special enhanced monster warrior serum suitable for humans just for me. The only pity is that my warriors can't undergo this monster transformation." Kania wiped the sweat from his forehead and said. Absolutely, absolutely no one must notice his abnormal reaction. He must find a way to secretly investigate this matter. If multiple Primarchs had been captured by the family behind this Lord Loki, then he must find a way to rescue them. Kania glanced at Salome, who was standing to the side. She was also human—perhaps he could start with her. Rhodes found Kania's behavior a bit baffling. "Monster transformation and such must be pretty unacceptable for you humans, right? This kind of ability is unnecessary. While the overall combat strength doesn't match that of monster warriors, it's safer and more stable, which is pretty good." Rhodes said. "Thank you, Lord Loki. I think those Tech Priests should have finished their work by now," Kania replied. The test of the monster serum had already taken a day. By now, those guys should have completed the Rite of Machine Spirit Awakening. He had to return quickly. He needed to confirm his suspicions as soon as possible. Rhodes nodded, greeted Lelith, and then walked with Kania to the underground chamber where the Rite of Machine Spirit Awakening was taking place. Below, the Tech Priests, along with their mindless mechanical servitors and over seventy little cherubim, had successfully awakened the machine spirits of this batch of power armor. Salome approached the power armors, lightly tapping one with her hand. A faint, delicate voice, audible only to her, reached her ears: ["Mother."] ["Creator."] ["Thank you for granting us life."] [ "We will serve you."] [ "Please always trust us."] Salome's expression instantly turned ecstatic. Could it be? Could it be happening? Her ordinary power armor... It had awakened self-awareness and gained a soul of its own! Although the consciousness was still very faint, it was indeed self-awareness! The Ultrawarrior Project could now be perfected. "I heard them. I heard the voices of these power armors. I heard them speaking to me. I feel that they are alive," Salome said to Rhodes. "What's wrong, Salome? What did you hear?" Rhodes asked. He hadn't heard anything unusual. "It's the machine spirits speaking to you, madam. Others cannot hear them. You are their creator, and they are thanking you," said the Tech Priest responsible for the awakening process. "Take these armors back and carefully select their owners. The longer they accompany their owners, the stronger these machine spirits will grow." Kania stood aside, deep in thought. So this woman was the one who created these powerful Terminator armors? After a bit more cordial conversation, Kania and his men left. "Lord Loki, we shall meet again." After leaving Lelith's arena, Kania couldn't wait to return to his ship. He immediately ordered his Tech Priests to conduct a genetic analysis of the first human warrior who had successfully undergone enhancement. "Tell me the results." "It's strange, Lord Kania. His genes bear some resemblance to those of the Primarchs. There's an unknown genetic material that is similar to several Primarchs," the Tech Priest in charge of the analysis said. As expected! He was right! When countless coincidences and impossibilities align, and you've ruled out all other answers, the one remaining—no matter how absurd or improbable—must be the truth. This serum... was developed using the genes of the Primarchs.