The restoration of the Han Dynasty began with the Horus Rebellion.

Chapter 49: Using Angron to Command the World Eater

"Captain Sun Qian, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"It's best not to say that, Loken, it doesn't sound like a compliment to my calm and collected command skills."

When Sun Qian arrived at the passageway in front of the upper deck, he found that Loken was already waiting for him in the middle of the road.

"If you want to hear flattery, your little fanboy Noktua will say it later."

Loken and Sun Qian walked side by side. Although their faces were still a little pale, it didn't seem to affect their movement.

"What I'm trying to say is that you have irreplaceable value, and there's no need for you to carry out this task personally."

Sun Qian seemed unsurprised by Loken's words, since Loken had been strongly opposed to Sun Qian risking his life ever since the battle with Sams.

"As I've said before, I'm not as important as you think. Even without me, you are capable—or even more suitable than me—of leading the loyal warriors back to the Empire..."

"But perhaps only you can bring back those who have gone astray."

Sun Qian finally understood why Loken had come out to greet him early and had a private conversation with him.

During the battle with Samus, Loken received Sun Qian's "Humility" and used the "Benevolence" skill of the standard version of Liu Bei.

Therefore, he understood the effects of this ability better than anyone else.

Strengthen the soul and eliminate abnormal states—including the effects of chaos.

And his goal in wanting Sun Qian to save was, of course,...

Seeing the faint flame of hope burning in Loken's eyes, Sun Qian wanted to comfort him, just as he had done with Grell, that Horus was only bewitched by the Four Gods and that there would definitely be a chance for him to return to normal.

But Sun Qian knew even better that vain hope would only make Loken weak when facing Horus.

"As the ancient saying goes, virtue and teachings are bestowed upon the virtuous. Benevolence can only clear the fog obscuring the vision of those who have lost their way... but if they have already chosen a path, it may actually help them go faster and further."

Upon hearing Sun Qian's words, Loken's expression darkened.

How much of Horus's rebellion stemmed from confusion and misguidance, and how much was actually born from his own pent-up resentment?

"Don't be so discouraged. I hope I'm just being too pessimistic—but in any case, we have to survive first before we can make any other plans."

While offering some words of comfort to Locke, Sun Qian walked alongside him into the upper deck.

But then Sun Qian froze, and muttered something to himself in frustration.

"I told you to choose your suicide squad members, but it's always the same familiar faces."

Next to the already activated Thunderhawk, waiting were familiar faces Togadon and Taviz.

"Aren't there 70,000 loyal Space Marines on the ship? How come it's just you few appearing? It's like a movie crew that embezzled the investment and can only squeeze a few characters and extras to their heart's content."

Togaton greeted Sun Qian warmly and familiarly.

"Yo, Captain, you've finally arrived. By the way, what does 'extra' mean?"

"The dragon is the symbol of emperors; I am praising your loyalty."

Sun Qian gave a perfunctory reply and then carefully observed the two of them.

Although their expressions remained normal, one could still tell from the details of their movements that the injuries they had sustained in the battle a few days ago had not yet healed.

"We've all heard from Loken that the selection criteria for this mission aren't combat prowess, but rather loyalty and courage."

Sol Taviz seemed to have read Sun Qian's mind and spoke first.

"It's not that we're bragging, but if it's these two requirements, I really can't find anyone more suitable than myself."

"Hmph, when it comes to loyalty to the captain, I, Noctua, am no less than you guys."

Greer poked his head out of the Thunderhawk's hatch and, upon seeing Sun Qian, immediately exclaimed excitedly.

"Lord Sun Qian, Lei Ying is ready to depart at any time!"

Sun Qian looked inside the Thunder Eagle and, as expected, Cruz was sitting in the driver's seat.

"Loken owes me a favor; I blackmailed him into putting me on the list."

The Terra veteran immediately spoke frankly.

"Besides, my driving skills don't need much proof."

Well, it really is all familiar faces.

To be honest, Sun Qian would prefer that these people stay on the Tyrant as insurance, so that someone could cover for them should anything happen.

But upon closer reflection, it really wasn't necessary, since if the mission failed, the entire ship would surely perish.

If you don't succeed, you will become benevolent.

"Although I don't know if Loken has told you about it, I'll explain the mission in detail again."

There was no time to waste. Sun Qian and the others boarded the Thunder Eagle and, as soon as they sat down, spoke seriously.

"Everyone here is a seasoned warrior. You should all be able to see that even if we manage to escape the disintegrating Istvan III, once we reach space and are surrounded by the fleets of four legions, all that awaits us is being shot down."

Everyone nodded solemnly. On the ground, the Great Tyrant only needed to focus on defending against attacks from above, and with its engines shut down, it could maximize its energy supply to the Void Shield Generator.

However, once in space, even the Glory Queen-class battleships could not withstand bombardment from all directions for long.

"But what if part of this perimeter becomes our protective barrier?"

By the time the Thunderhawk gunboat launched from its open deck hatches, the Great Tyrant had already completed its course adjustment.

As can be seen from the bow direction, most ships chose to raise to a higher orbit to avoid being accidentally damaged by the impact of the planet's disintegration. Only the ships of the World Eater Legion not only did not raise, but were even lowering their orbital altitude and forming a formation.

Although countless naval guns were aimed at the Tyrant, a clear passage appeared in the middle at the same time.

"As per our previous agreement with Kahn, he will be responsible for finding a way to stop the fleets of the other three... two legions."

As he said this, Sun Qian subconsciously looked towards the location of the Sky End.

It can be seen that the Death Guard fleet has retreated to a position further away than other ships, seemingly intending to sit back and watch the fight unfold.

"On the condition that we rescue their genetic father, the Primarch Angron of the Twelfth Legion, from this dying planet."

"but......"

Greer spoke cautiously, but after feeling Sun Qian's encouraging gaze, he boldly raised his question.

"What if Angron is already dead? I mean, even if he was incredibly brave and skilled in battle, in a planet-destroying environment—"

"The answer is right ahead."

Following Sun Qian's finger, everyone saw a huge rock directly in front of the Thunder Eagle gunboat, clearly showing signs of man-made construction.

Like any other building on the planet, no matter how sturdy a fortress was, it was meaningless in the face of the planet's destruction. However, the Space Marines present quickly noticed the anomaly with their superhuman vision.

The boulder seemed to be surrounded by a faint, spherical, translucent halo, which prevented it from disintegrating under the impact of the geothermal energy eruption. Moreover, like the Great Tyrant, it was suspended in the air by the impact.

"That's... a towered tomb?"

Loken was the first to recognize him, and then he explained to Noktua and Cruz, who had not participated in the Battle of Istfan III.

"That was one of the rebel regime's key strongholds, originally intended as a burial ground for planetary nobles, but it was equipped with a Void Shield defense system comparable to that of the Demon's Cry Fortress..."

"But you didn't consider hiding there when you retreated, did you?"

The one who answered Sun Qian's question was Togaton, who lowered his voice with a complicated expression.

"Because that place appears to be a site where the rebels are secretly conducting research and...religious sacrifices, and it's filled with all sorts of incomprehensible...alien technologies, we judged that it would be too dangerous to enter rashly."

The so-called alien technology is just an explanation based on the premise of believing in the truth of the Empire. However, everyone present has more or less witnessed things related to the warp and naturally realized that it may be a place related to chaos in essence.

"That's right. If that's the case, then the tower tomb is very likely connected to other Chaos Ritual sites by secret passages to facilitate the transport of corpses or offerings."

Sun Qian made no attempt to hide anything; at this point, there was no room for hesitation.

"You mean, it's possible that Liu Bei's warhound legion... moved to the tower tomb through tunnels along with Angron?"

"And my brother, Lucius."

When Cruz asked the question, Taviz quietly added.

"It's not just a possibility, I can tell you with absolute certainty—they are definitely there."

Sun Qian took a deep breath and closed his left eye.

With his right eye, he could clearly see dense clusters of light within the massive stone of the towering tomb.

However, this is mainly divided into two groups, one of which is the same pale white color as the other loyalists.

"And our mission is..."

As for the other one, it was the same blood-red color as the one emanating from his right arm.

"He who uses Angron to devour the world!"