Chapter 217: Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [217]

Words : 992 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

After ten thousand years of slumber, the Emperor's son finally awoke, his body fully healed by the med-pod and his soul restored by the Death God's power. "You're awake. Now get dressed—no one wants to see you naked, trust me!" Rhodes grinned. "Childish humor. But... thank you for bringing me back, my friend!" Guilliman's first words upon awakening and meeting Rhodes. The Primarch's mind was as powerful as a supercomputer—one glance around told him much, and he quickly deduced that Rhodes was the leader and that some misunderstanding had occurred. Several unknown gene-sons were lying nearby. "You're welcome," Rhodes smiled. At last, Guilliman was awake! "Lord Guilliman, I have fulfilled the promise I made to you ten thousand years ago and successfully revived you," Cawl said. "Ten thousand years? Well... thank you, Cawl. But please, let me get dressed. This armor must be for me," Guilliman said, approaching the Armor of Fate and touching it. The armor quickly fused to his body, fitting perfectly. Guilliman felt the new power armor was crafted from an unknown metal. "A thousand centuries... I hear the sound of battle outside. Are we under attack?" Guilliman asked, picking up his weapon. The occasional explosions outside told him a battle was underway, but not too severe. "It's nothing—just a minor issue. The enemy outside will be cleared soon," Rhodes replied. At this moment, his system currency skyrocketed as his gene-sons slaughtered Chaos forces, and his flagship and Horus devastated the Chaos fleets. The enemy had not even reached the shrine's gates. The Custodian, Elena, the Black Templars, and Grey Knights outside had encountered no foes. Rhodes' gene-sons had wiped out most of the Chaos army, with his total forces now at 560,000. In just half a month en route to Macragge, Rhodes had converted 100,000 Cadian soldiers into his gene-sons. Though they lacked Custodian-level discipline and experience, they were far stronger than original Space Marines. Crushing the Chaos forces was no problem—with the equivalent of 500 Chapters' worth of warriors, and a Dark Giant attacking in space. "I see. Then may I introduce myself? I know nothing of you, my friend," Guilliman asked Rhodes. "This is the Emperor's Chosen, a new Primarch for a new era—Lord Rhodes! Your resurrection was only possible through his careful planning," Living Saint Celestine vouched for Rhodes before he could answer. Hearing this, Guilliman looked at Rhodes in surprise but quickly regained his composure. "Thank you, my new brother. If a new Primarch has been created, does it mean Father has left the Golden Throne?" Guilliman asked. Only the Emperor could create new Primarchs. If one had appeared in the new era, it must mean the Emperor had risen from the Throne. He was shocked to learn he had slept for ten thousand years—he had expected Cawl to revive him in a few centuries or a millennium at most. "Regrettably, the Emperor is still on the Golden Throne. Only he knows Lord Rhodes' origins—you may ask him yourself in the future," Celestine sighed. The Emperor had told her nothing about this Primarch. She once suspected he was one of the two erased Primarchs—but now it seemed unlikely. "I want to learn more about this new world. May I have some time to talk with my gene-sons?" Guilliman asked. Rhodes smiled and gestured for him to proceed. "Great Gene-Father, I am Tigurius, Chief Librarian of the Ultramarines. Please allow me to explain the state of the galaxy to you," Tigurius knelt before his Primarch, excited. "Rise, my son. Tell me all about the current state of affairs—I want to understand this new era," Guilliman said. While the two conversed, Rhodes tossed the unconscious Calgar into the med-pod for treatment. "You're a regular in the ICU, aren't you? Always getting yourself sent there," Rhodes quipped. Time passed quickly—within an hour, Guilliman learned the state of the Imperium from Tigurius, and his expression darkened in anger. He hadn't expected things to be a hundred times worse than imagined—the Imperium had become what he despised most. "How does it feel to have your descendants worship your Codex for ten thousand years? Feeling crushed?" Rhodes teased. "This is but one of my frustrations. I intended the Codex Astartes to last only two or three hundred years. Can you tell me your origins, brother? How were you created?" Guilliman asked Rhodes. From his gene-sons, he had learned some basic information—a being capable of defeating Calgar with one move had to be Primarch-level, and Guilliman could sense a faint threat from Rhodes, a peer in power, though only two meters tall—shorter than even a normal Marine. "Primarch, I'll tend to the Chapter Master and the others. You two should talk," Tigurius bowed to both and left discreetly—this was not a conversation for him. After Tigurius left, Rhodes activated an energy shield on his armor, isolating himself and Guilliman, ensuring privacy. "How to put it... Primarchs are a kind of human transcendence. Theoretically, any human whose soul and body reach your level becomes a Primarch—you understand?" Rhodes explained. He and the Emperor had agreed on an explanation recently—that cosmic phantasms accounted for his origins. "I know, but reaching Primarch-level in both body and soul is no easy feat," Guilliman said. During warp travel, he always sensed something calling to him from the Warp—the same was true for his brothers. At his duel with Fulgrim, Fulgrim had said strange things, trying to sway him. So Guilliman believed all the Primarchs came from the Warp. Bodies could perhaps be copied, but not souls. "Actually, besides me, there's a female Primarch—my wife. We became Primarchs by merging with a special being called a cosmic phantasm," Rhodes explained. It was truly miraculous—just fusing with this being could elevate an ordinary person to Primarch-level! His father, the Emperor, was still the same—always recruiting any talent that benefited humanity.

Chapter 217: Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [217]

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