Chapter 73: Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [73]

This bald warlord is certainly not Horus. The beloved son Horus has already been utterly obliterated by the Emperor, reduced to nothingness—so dead that he couldn't be any deader. A warrior possessing immense dark energy could only be found among the Chaos Space Marines. On the Imperial side, not even the Primarchs fit this criterion. Currently, within the galaxy, the most powerful figure among the Chaos Space Marines is undoubtedly the undefeated dark warlord, the Warmaster Abaddon. He perfectly meets all the conditions—dark power? He has it. Combat prowess? He has that too. He even effortlessly slew a Custodian with a single strike during the fall of Cadia. Despite having undergone only the standard Space Marine augmentation procedures, his strength far surpasses that of the Custodes. Moreover, he isn't entirely loyal to the four Chaos Gods. After the Great Rift opened, he even proclaimed himself as the Warlord of the Imperium's dark side and distanced himself from the Chaos Gods. Most importantly, if he were to become the human vessel of Steel Warrior Dalam, it would mean he had been directly turned against Chaos. Don't the Chaos Gods love corrupting others? Have they ever considered the possibility of their people being corrupted and taken away from them? Of course, besides Abaddon, some fallen Primarchs are stronger than him. However, they are difficult to control because they have been directly corrupted by the Chaos Gods, becoming Daemon Princes who have transcended humanity itself. Some don't even have human flesh anymore; they are beings of pure energy. What is needed is the soul of a warrior, and these fully demonized Primarchs are unsuitable. Besides, let's be honest—every single traitorous Primarch has serious mental issues. For example, Angron, corrupted by Khorne, would be a more fitting choice for the Dark Giant statue than Abaddon. But the problem is, he's completely insane—a berserker through and through. As for the other fallen Primarchs, one is controlled by Slaanesh and spends his days indulging in depravity, another is a sorcerer serving Tzeentch, and the last one, Mortarion, serves Grandfather Nurgle and just drifts through life. None of them are suitable. Abaddon, on the other hand, has a keen strategic mind, and immense combat power, and if he were to be turned against Chaos, many of his Chaos Space Marine followers would, by extension, become minions of Rhodes. However, there is one major drawback: the Imperium despises Abaddon—to the point of being sworn enemies. If he were to defect, the Imperium would want to kill him, or at the very least, suspect that this was some kind of Chaos conspiracy. But if things don't work out, the Giants of Darkness could always abandon its human vessel. Unlike the benevolent Light Giants, who would sacrifice themselves for their human vessels, the Giants of Darkness fight purely for their benefit. After fusing with a Giants of Darkness warrior, as long as the corresponding Chaos transformation or Dark Warlord transformation can be developed, the human vessel—Abaddon in this case—could simply be discarded. The Giants of Darkness would retain the transformation, and the human vessel could be replaced at will. But it's too early to think about that now—the plan hasn't even been put into motion yet! If Rhodes wants to steal one of the Chaos Gods' champions, he needs to strategize carefully. So, how can he make Abaddon willingly offer himself to the statue and fuse with the Giants of Darkness? A well-thought-out corruption plan is needed. Ordinary methods won't make a warlord like Abaddon willingly sacrifice himself. A grand ancient ruin, an ancient legend, and a compelling case for the power of the Giants of Darkness must be created. Tell him that with the power of the Giants of Darkness, he would surpass even the Primarchs and could challenge the Chaos Gods themselves. That would tempt Abaddon—after all, he dreams of having the strength to crush his Primarch uncles and wield the same power as his father, Horus. If he had possessed Horus' power, he wouldn't have needed thirteen Black Legion just to destroy one Cadia. Perhaps using an alias or sending an avatar would be best—Rhodes may need a new subordinate from the Ultraman universe for this task. For instance, a few shape-shifting aliens like the Babarue aliens could be useful. Suddenly, an idea flashed through Rhodes' mind. If the energies of the Warp can be considered this universe's equivalent of dark energy, then wouldn't the wound inflicted on Roboute Guilliman by Fulgrim also count as a form of dark energy? If Abaddon doesn't work out, Guilliman could be a good alternative! Guilliman is currently in a state of suspended animation. If he were to fuse with the Giants of Darkness's statue, no additional treatment would be needed—he would be revived and perfectly synchronized with the Giants of Darkness. However, Guilliman's personality doesn't quite align with that of Steel Warrior Dalam. While he can be violent in battle, he is ultimately an intellectual and a strategist. If anyone were truly a perfect match, it would be the swift and agile warrior Hitora. Plus, blue and purple aesthetics go well together. Unfortunately, Rhodes doesn't have Hitora's giant statue at the moment, and who knows how long it will take to obtain a second Giants of Darkness statue. Rhodes pondered deeply—should he try to merge Guilliman with the statue, or should he focus on corrupting Abaddon and stealing a champion from the Chaos Gods? But if Guilliman were to be used, his dark energy might not be sufficient, making Abaddon the better choice overall. As Rhodes contemplated these matters, the Pedan mothership had already landed on the planet's surface. Titus sent someone to inform Rhodes of their arrival. Rhodes had no interest in interacting with the planet's government, so he sent two Deathwatch Space Marines to retrieve the Chapter Chaplain. They would bring back the small shuttle themselves. Rhodes had already given these Deathwatch members standard crew identities, allowing them to operate the small Pedan shuttle. Meanwhile, Balt was busy upgrading their Space Marine enhancement procedures, and Rhodes had no desire to disturb them. He was pacing around the command room when suddenly, an alarm sounded. [Alarm! Alarm! The small shuttle is under attack!] Hearing this, Rhodes frowned, stood up from the command chair, and checked the radar system. The shuttle's video feed came through—two Deathwatch Space Marines were engaged in combat with a dozen warriors clad in black armor. These black-armored warriors moved with incredible speed, fought with ruthless efficiency, and displayed immense combat experience. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the two Deathwatch Marines were soon overwhelmed and captured alive. After taking them prisoner, the black-armored warriors also seized Rhodes' shuttle, knocking out the recently awakened Chaplain in the process. They even loaded Rhodes' Pedan shuttle onto their raiding ship and took off. Rhodes smirked slightly, not even bothering to activate the shuttle's self-defense systems. He hadn't gone looking for trouble, yet trouble had come to him. He had been wondering who to target next, and now these guys had delivered themselves right to his doorstep. Judging by their armor designs, these attackers were Dark Eldar. How convenient—he had been planning to deal with them anyway! If he wanted to build a bio-lab for Balt to produce Zetton, he would need to visit the Dark Eldar. Their expertise in biotechnology was unmatched, and their equipment wasn't far behind. They possessed relics from the peak of the Eldar Empire. He needed to borrow some of their research materials. After all, the Haemonculi operated within the Eye of Terror, and Rhodes had no interest in venturing into the Warp. Besides, when it came to experimental equipment, the Dark Eldar's technology was far superior—after all, even the Haemonculi had studied under them. The Dark Eldar's capital, Commorragh, was hidden within the Webway, making it extremely difficult to enter. Only Dark Eldar or other Eldar pirates could access it. Ordinary humans could only get in as slaves. But with Rhodes' Pedan shuttle being taken there, it would serve as a tracking beacon. Once inside, Rhodes could use the mothership's navigation system to pinpoint Commorragh's location. That's why he hadn't activated the shuttle's self-defense systems. Rhodes immediately used the command ship's communications to summon Titus and several Deathwatch squad leaders. "Lord Rhodes, has something happened?" "There's been an incident. Take a look at this!" Rhodes said, playing the video. "These... these warriors... they are Dark Eldar! They're space pirates!" Titus exclaimed. Oh no, if they were captured by the pirates of the Dark Eldar, then their Chaplain and two battle brothers are in grave danger. This is because the Dark Eldar's capital city, Commorragh, is located within the complex webway of the ancient Eldar Empire, making it completely inaccessible to the Imperium. As a result, every time the Dark Eldar pirates come to raid, the Imperium is utterly helpless. Even though they are deeply resentful of these interstellar pirates, they can do nothing about them. "Those bastards! Every time the Imperium is engaged in battles with its enemies, they sneak in to launch surprise attacks and then abduct the Imperium's people!"