Warhammer, about my years with the Wolfpack

"Most of the officers and soldiers in my Legion are Caliban, but many of them still don't understand the situation. I can only use some tricks against them," Luther muttered to himself. Even though the people in Luther's army are Caliban, many of them are still loyal to the Empire and the Primarch.

In order to deal with these people, Luther decided to hold a Hongmen Banquet. Those who were willing to surrender to him could stay. As for those who were unwilling to surrender, Luther decided to imprison them for the sake of their former comrades.

"I need some help." Luther remembered the contact information the mysterious man had given him, and now he needed to prepare. He pulled out a dagger, a gift from the mysterious man. This dagger had saved Luther from danger many times. Looking at the blade glowing blue, Luther made up his mind and prepared to act!

--------

"The human heart is truly unpredictable, and the sharpness of words is sometimes more terrifying than guns and cannons." In a secret dungeon in Caliban, Mortarion couldn't help but sigh as he watched Luther preparing for a ceremony in the light curtain.

Before the rebellion, Mortarion knew Luther. In his eyes, Luther was a noble and outstanding knight, not only outstanding in ability, but also in character, which earned the admiration of those who knew him. But now, this knight who practiced loyalty and honor was actively preparing for betrayal, and all this was orchestrated by the Tzeentch Archdemon Carlos who was beside him.

It was he who orchestrated everything behind the scenes, who lured Luther into corruption, using a combination of over 8% truth, 1% speculation, and 1% conspiracy to lead him down this path. His tactics were so sophisticated that even Mortarion couldn't tell what was true and what was false. Even after Carlos detailed the entire plan to the Lord of Death, he remained somewhat bewildered.

And now Mortarion wants to figure out what is true and what is false in the words of this great demon of Tzeentch.

"I remember you weren't that interested in schemes and strategies before." Carlos let out a smug laugh from his beak after hearing the Lord of Death's question. He looked at Mortarion, his eyes gleaming with a strange light.

"Your meanness and shamelessness have refreshed my cognition. I hate conspiracies and tricks, but that doesn't mean I don't want to understand them. After all, this galaxy is full of lies and deceit. Only by understanding them can I defeat them." Mortarion snorted coldly.

"Caliban is indeed cursed. The Abomination dealt with the source of Chaos. Everything on Caliban has been affected by Chaos, but some are more profound and some are less so. The Gods of Order are well aware of this, and so is Jonson," said Carlos.

"How pitiful! Caliban's fate reminds me of the alien warlord on Barbarus, and the stench he emanated from him." Mortarion's face showed a trace of disgust. Tzeentch had told Mortarion many things, including everything that happened on his home planet, Barbarus, his adoptive father, and the toxic gas that permeated the entire planet. In fact, it was Nurgle who tortured the planet and his people. This made Mortarion hate Nurgle deeply.

Mortarion also disliked Tzeentch, who loved conspiracy and intrigue, but Tzeentch's two words made Mortarion change his attitude. The first sentence was that although Tzeentch was also an evil god, he had never hurt Mortarion and his legion, and even helped him when the Lord of Radiance was angry.

The second sentence is that Tzeentch said that he did not expect to gain the loyalty of Mortarion and his legion. They were just in a cooperative relationship, and Tzeentch would provide Mortarion with knowledge and power. If Mortarion wanted to leave one day, he could leave!

Tzeentch's generous behavior also won the favor of Mortarion. The Lord of Death expressed his gratitude for Tzeentch's help and said that he was not a person who would not repay his debts. But at the same time, he also stated that he would insist on his independence. In response to this, Tzeentch laughed and did not care at all.

"So, in order to maintain the purity of the Legion, Jonson decided to gradually replace the native soldiers of Caliban with soldiers from other worlds?" Mortarion asked.

"Maybe. Who knows? The reality is that there are more and more Dark Angel recruits from other planets, while the proportion of recruits on Caliban is decreasing." Carlos said meaningfully.

"Hmph, you are a manipulator. I don't think my brother wants to eliminate the bloodline of Caliban from the legion. You just used a fact to make someone make a wrong judgment." Mortarion said.

"Why did you come to such a conclusion?" Carlos said with some surprise. In fact, Carlos knew that Zhuangsen did not have such an idea. The reason was very simple. With the expansion of the legion and the increase of recruitment points, the proportion of recruited personnel on a planet would definitely decrease.

Carlos could sense that Jonson deliberately kept Caliban's recruitment level low to reduce its burden. This Lion King had done his utmost to benefit his home planet, maintaining Caliban's customs and traditions while modernizing it.

"My brother Jonson does not tolerate any betrayal or suspicion. If he really believes that the pollution on Caliban has reached a level that must be dealt with, he will not hesitate to blow up the planet along with the people on it! He regards the orders from the Emperor as the highest instructions, and he will decisively solve all problems. He is a complete executioner!" said Mortarion.

"You really understand your brothers." Carlos looked at Mortarion with some doubt. He was surprised to find that some of the things Mortarion said now seemed to make sense. In other words, he had grown up with a brain...

"Hmph, I have always been wise, but I just don't like to talk as much nonsense as you do." Mortarion snorted coldly.

Carlos's plot was indeed successful. Most of what he said was true, such as the pollution on Caliban and the possible curse on the Calibans. He relied on these realities to draw a completely wrong conclusion. Coupled with the fact that the Lion King really didn't understand human nature, he was completely fooled...

"If you were truly wise, you wouldn't have chosen the evil god, but your father," Carlos said with a hint of bitterness in his heart. Honestly, Carlos was envious of the gifts the Emperor bestowed upon the Primarch. As the Emperor's children, the Emperor was willing to offer them a path to ascension. Perhaps they couldn't become gods, but it was far better than being a demon.

Even in his spare time, Carlos would ponder a question that he could never understand: why did Mortarion choose to betray the Emperor? The Emperor was obviously very good to Mortarion.

Carlos had once tentatively asked this question. Mortarion's answer had left him speechless. Mortarion believed the Emperor had robbed him of his victory, that the Emperor was a double-faced sorcerer, a monster who toyed with souls and the Warp. Therefore, Mortarion believed the Emperor was evil.

This statement completely confused Carlos. After all, Carlos knew very well that Mortarion was definitely no match for his adoptive father in Barbarus, and the Emperor came to his rescue. As for Mortarion accusing the Emperor of being a sorcerer, then wasn't Tzeentch, the one he had joined, also a sorcerer? Tzeentch was the ancestor of sorcerers!

If Angron's betrayal could be explained as the fault of the nail and his own poor performance, then in Carlos's opinion, there was no logical reason for Mortarion to betray him. Why the hell was this?

"The Emperor must have been too kind to Mortarion," Carlos thought to himself. After all, before Mortarion's betrayal, the Emperor had truly done nothing wrong to Mortarion. And now, the reason Mortarion had submitted to Tzeentch, Carlos felt, was simply because Tzeentch wasn't Mortarion's father. That meant he'd really done it.

Carlos recalled the cowardly behavior of Mortarion when the Lord of Radiance was determined to kill him, and his opinion of Mortarion dropped even further.

Carlos even believed that even if Magnus was a bad person, he was still much better than Mortarion. After all, it was Tzeentch who plotted against Magnus, making it extremely difficult for Magnus to escape. Moreover, Tzeentch himself could distinguish right from wrong. Subjectively, he didn't want to rebel. But Mortarion was different. This guy's betrayal was completely illogical!

"So, once Luther's betrayal is launched, our goal is to capture Caliban and stab Jonson in the back? Or perhaps we can even capture my brother?" Mortarion asked.

"How is that possible?" Carlos said. "With the gods already weakened, we can't possibly kill or capture a single loyal Primarch. Because when necessary, the Supreme Beings will use the loyal Primarchs as anchors and descend directly. By then, none of us will be able to escape."

"Then what's the point of our actions? Lord Randan once bewitched the Primarch, and the gods you serve seem to be inferior to Lord Randan." Mortarion frowned and said.

"The Lord of Randan is just one step away from becoming a god. If we ignore the Emperor and the Traveler, he is a god walking among the mortals. Even the gods are powerless. Moreover, the bewitched Primarch chose to betray. He accepted the Lord of Randan instead of the Emperor."

"As for the significance of our actions? We just want to bring Luther and some of the Dark Angels into the arms of our Lord, that's all. Our goals are very limited." Carlos explained.

Chapter 445 The Lion Returns to Loyal Caliban

"You've gone to all this trouble just to deceive a bunch of Dark Angels, Carlos. You and your master lack the magnanimity to do so," Mortarion said coldly, a hint of contempt in his words.

In Mortarion's opinion, Carlos's plot and strategy were ingenious, and the execution was impressive. However, the expected gains seemed modest. After all, there were only around 3 Dark Angels on Caliban, and many of them were undoubtedly loyal to the Empire and the Lion King. So, after eliminating these, Mortarion felt that Tzeentch wouldn't gain much from this attack. Too stingy.

"Hmph, you don't understand anything." Carlos didn't respond to Mortarion, but instead labeled him a fool in his mind. What did Mortarion think he was doing? He was messing with things right under the noses of the Gods of Order!

Tzeentch and Carlos were essentially trying to sneak something through the Emperor's fingers. After the change in fate, after the Chaos Gods were severely damaged, Tzeentch and Carlos had low expectations of the Dark Angels' actions. After all, the Dark Angels were generally loyal and were under the Emperor's care.

It was already a good thing to be able to take Luther and the tens of thousands of Dark Angels into his pocket. After all, after Luther launched the rebellion, Jonson would definitely lead his men to suppress it. The Gods of Order were powerful, and Tzeentch could not overturn the table. It was unknown how many Dark Angels Luther could escape with.

"By the way, will my brother Magnus also participate in this operation?" asked Mortarion.

"Of course he will. He and his Thousand Sons Legion will play a very important role in this operation. They will open a portal connecting to Caliban on the Wizard Planet so as to support or assist Luther's evacuation in unfavorable circumstances. The first batch of Thousand Sons will arrive soon." Carlos said.

"Well, that's good. I thought my brother only knew how to study and had forgotten that he was once an outstanding commander." Mortarion said with satisfaction after hearing this.

Mortarion's brains weren't very bright sometimes, but he wasn't really stupid. There were too many cases of betrayal in Chaos, and trust was a very scarce resource. If Magnus and the Thousand Sons Legion didn't come, the Lord of Death would have to consider whether there was something fishy going on.

Of course, as the Lord of Change and the Supreme Eagle, He tried His best to control countless possibilities and destinies. He would naturally think about what would happen if this thing could not be done?

In countless fragments of time, Tzeentch has guessed various possibilities about Jonson and the Gods of Order. For example, Jonson received the Emperor's reminder and brought a fleet to quell the rebellion. Yes, Tzeentch knew very well that no matter how perfect Carlos's conspiracy was on the mortal level, it could not shield the perception of the Emperor and the Traveler. Jonson would know about this matter 80% of the time, and the other 20% was that Jonson did not know, but the Emperor and the Traveler knew, and then the Imperial Guards and the Emperor's attendants came up and killed Luther.

It was impossible to defeat him. But the fact that he couldn't defeat him didn't mean that Tzeentch's plan had failed, because he had already thought of this possibility and made arrangements, and Mortarion was part of that arrangement.

From a destiny perspective, Mortarion belonged to Nurgle. This was determined from the moment he descended upon Barbarus, tacitly approved by the Chaos Gods. Although he was now in Tzeentch's hands, his future was uncertain. Therefore, Tzeentch decided to use the Lord of Death as a test or experiment.

It is impossible for Mortarion to stop the Emperor, but it doesn’t matter. Tzeentch will tell Nurgle about it at the right time. Well, now that Nurgle’s chosen one has appeared before the Emperor, Nurgle, will you go or not?

If Nurgle appears, he will inevitably clash with the gods of order. Even if Nurgle takes action, Khorne will also take action. Except for him, all the gods will fight each other, and it will be easy for him to do whatever he wants.

What if Nurgle doesn't take action? That depends on the situation. Tzeentch suspects the Emperor might consider reclaiming Mortarion. After all, judging by the Emperor's previous actions, He truly favors him. And if the Emperor and the Traveler show up, it's likely Khorne and Nurgle will have the opportunity to attack the Vulcan. In the chaos, Tzeentch might even gain an advantage. When both sides are exhausted, Tzeentch can strike again!

Some people may ask, aren't Magnus and the Thousand Sons also involved in this operation?

Ummmm. You dare believe everything Tzeentch says? Kalos and Mortarion told almost everything truthfully, but the one lie was that Magnus would participate in this operation. In reality, the Thousand Sons would open the gates and, if necessary, support the Fallen Angel and Mortarion. But Magnus himself would not participate. Tzeentch wouldn't throw away such a crucial trump card!

As for Mortarion? But it was a card Tzeentch had stolen from Nurgle, so it wasn't his own. So, if he threw it away, he threw it away. If losing Mortarion meant Tzeentch could gain something more from Vashtor, then it was worth it. After all, what level was Mortarion at now, and what level was Vashtor at now? How could the former compare to the latter?

This was Tzeentch's complete scheme. He truly intended to secure a portion of the Dark Angels, and he considered every possible scenario. Perhaps the outcome would have been different, perhaps Mortarion would have been lost, perhaps the Emperor would have destroyed the Primarch, but so what? All of this gave Tzeentch the upper hand, and in the end, he still had his sights set on the greatest target of this contest—Vashtor!

However, just as Tzeentch was weaving his web of conspiracy, Jonson and his first wave of counter-rebellion troops arrived on Caliban. Coming was easy; all the traveler had to do was open the gate. However, Jonson was surprised to find that this wave of counter-rebellion troops consisted of only three men: Jonson himself, Malcador the Sigillite, and Merlin the Emperor's attendant.

--------

"I never imagined there would be only three of us suppressing a rebellion!" As Jonson's feet once again touched the earth of Caliban, he looked toward the patched woods, his entire body a bit dazed. He had never imagined he would come to Caliban as a rebel suppressor, and even more so, with only three of us on this suppressing force... Jonson had never fought a war like this before.

"Lion King, if possible, you don't want to use orbital bombardment and angel six wings to destroy your home planet." Merlin said mischievously.

"Isn't this the normal process of suppressing a rebellion? Luther has been corrupted by Chaos, and many descendants of Caliban have also been bewitched. Should we show mercy to these guys?" Zhuangsen asked in return.

"Sometimes words are more lethal than guns, Jonson. You are so proud, and your descendants admire you so much. Perhaps some of them have indeed been bewitched. Shouldn't you give them a chance? Convince them to stand on your side, encourage a very small number of people, and then eliminate them. The power of rebellion lies in Caliban. You need to unite them. At the same time, find the enemies hiding in the darkness and wipe them out in one fell swoop."

"This is a very challenging task, isn't it?" said the Sigillite.

"It's indeed challenging," Jonson nodded. "But I have another question, Respected Sigillite. Are you so free now that you have the time to accompany me to deal with the Caliban situation? The battle here involves only tens of thousands of troops, which is only a moderate-sized battle in the Great Crusade."

Zhuang Sen was a little confused. After all, this didn't seem like a big deal. Wasn't it just about dealing with Luther? Zhuang Sen had already thought about it. If he had to use force to solve the problem, he could take Merlin with him and have the Traveler open the door directly to Luther's door.

Merlin was responsible for holding the others back, while Jonson defeated his former mentor in a duel. If they weren't strong enough, they could always call in others. There was no need for Malcador. Shouldn't the Sigillite be dedicated to the advancement of humanity? How could they be distracted by such trivial matters? This shouldn't be the right thing to do!

"The battle before us is just the tip of the iceberg. Perhaps you can still see your brothers here." The Master of the Seal smiled and said, "As for me? Actually, I don't have to come, but I came to adapt to my upcoming retirement life. It can be considered an early enjoyment."

"Retire?!" Zhuang Sen felt terrible.

"Retirement. At least partial retirement. Perhaps my original body will still be on Terra, but my clone will likely travel the galaxy, experiencing different lives and pleasures. Most government affairs will be handed over to Guilliman. That will be his future mission and path. And I will naturally have some free time."

"Guilliman? I can already picture him at his desk." The Lion King smiled. He recalled a conversation between Perturabo, Dorn, and the others. They'd all been imagining their futures. The Lion King thought about continuing to train qualified knights to protect humanity, while Dorn pondered how to build a magnificent structure unprecedented in history. Perturabo, on the other hand, had been thinking about the various tools bearing the Iron Warriors' label, now commonplace throughout the Imperium of Man.

As for Guilliman? Perturabo said without hesitation that Guilliman's future was in the office! Just like he was doing now. This slightly teasing remark made the brothers laugh out loud, but to be honest, everyone agreed with this point.

"So, your rest is to quell the rebellion?" asked Zhuang Sen.

"I haven't done anything directly for a long time. I'm eager to try it. What is rest? It's just doing what I want to do." Makado said confidently.

The Emperor gave Malcador strength, while the Traveler gave him a strong body. The Emperor was not human, after all, while the Traveler was a human ascended to godhood, so the power he bestowed was more compatible with Malcador! And now, Malcador longed to test his own strength!

"You are like a child who got a new toy, so you want to come to my place to try it out." Zhuang Sen curled his lips and complained in a low voice.

"Deep down inside, all men have a yearning to be strong. It's a desire that's in our DNA. I just followed my heart," said Machado with a smile.

"Well, you probably won't get to try out your new toy this time," Jonson said calmly. "I can handle Caliban myself."

"So what do we do now?" Merlin asked, needing to respect Jonson's authority.

"Let's go find Astelan. He's from Terra, and he's on Caliban. Others might betray us, but he probably won't. Then we'll go find Lord Cypher, who holds the secrets of the Legion." Jonson thought for a moment and said.

"Very well, let's go find him!" Malcador waved his hand. A wave of psychic energy enveloped the three men, blocking most detection and making them subconsciously oblivious to their presence. After using divination to determine Astelan's location, the three decided to see what the veteran from Terra was planning.

--------

"Asteran is communicating with Zahariel, and they seem to be discussing something." The three of them first came to a communication tower. After the Lion King entered the highest-level key, Merlin obtained the controller of the communication tower and successfully captured a communication content that interested everyone.

However, the content of their communication shocked the Lion King. In it, Astelan learned of Luther and Zahariel's plans for rebellion. Well, at least on the surface, they weren't about joining Chaos, but rather about Caliban's independence and restoration of its former glory. And Astelan actually expressed his support for Luther.

What made the Lion King even more unbelievable was that Astelan also offered a suggestion, which was to hold a meeting in the name of Luther, summon all the high-ranking members of the legion, and take the opportunity to deal with those who were unwilling to betray!

"Damn it, how could this happen? I can understand Luther having second thoughts, but he shouldn't have done that." The Lion King said with a gloomy face. He clenched his fists involuntarily, and the anger in his heart was about to burst out!

"Then let's go ask this dark angel from Terra," Merlin said.

"I'll go now. If he doesn't give a suitable explanation, I will make him regret being born into this world!" said the Lion King gritting his teeth.

"Okay, then let's go together." Malcador rubbed his fists and gritted his teeth.

"I can do it alone," said Zhuang Sen.

"I'm worried that you can't control your anger. Let's go together," said Malcador.

"What about Zahariel? His brother is still following you. If I remember correctly, his brother's name should be Nemiel. Nemiel holds a very high position in the think tank." Merlin said.

"I don't know, we can go find him later. If they want to rebel, they must persuade or capture Lord Sefer who knows the secrets of the Legion. We can find him easily." said the Lion King.

"Okay, then I'll open a portal and we'll get ready to go over there," Merlin said.

"No need, this is my legion, this is my home planet, I know all the secrets here, let's go over there! Appear in front of them with dignity!" said the Lion King.

Chapter 446: The Lion King's Rebellion 1

"Perhaps our father did look down on Caliban's existence, but he is still our father. If Lord Luther's orders conflict with the Lion King's orders, I am willing to obey the Lion King's orders." In a conference room, Astelan first convened a group of people for a small meeting. When he asked whether to be loyal to Luther and Caliban, or to the Lion, a knight captain from Caliban said this.

"Beron, the First Legion is the leader of all legions. Before the Primarch's return, when the Emperor walked on Terra, I served in the Legion. Back then, we were a proud Legion. We fought for the Emperor and humanity, and we were glorious. But as time went by, especially after the Primarch's return, I found that our Legion was constantly changing."

"Our Legion is too cold-blooded and cruel. We will do anything to win. We never spare lives and innocent people. Any means can be implemented to achieve victory. I think this is contrary to the Legion's founding philosophy. Lord Luther is a knight full of honor and very capable. He is a respected elder. He will turn us from executioners into protectors and real knights. Not a killing machine." Astelan said.

(As for why Astelan rebelled and his position, the various books are actually very vague. On the one hand, he claimed to be loyal to the Empire, but at the same time he helped Luther. And when Astelan took control of the orbital fleet, he parted ways with Luther. It was not until later that he explained that he and the Lion had a major disagreement during a battle. Facing the aliens, the Lion's idea was to attract the aliens to the hive and then destroy the hive together. Astelan opposed it.)

"My lord, we are facing the dark side of the galaxy. A little bit of kindness and hesitation will cause disaster. Although some of the Lion King's actions are questionable, this is not a reason for us to rebel." said Belon.

"I didn't betray you, I just..." Just as Astelan was about to defend himself, the door outside the conference room suddenly banged loudly. The heavy alloy door was violently sent flying. Fragments of the door even smashed onto the conference room table. A group of Dark Angels elites quickly moved out of the way. Just as they were about to launch a counterattack, a towering figure rushed in!

"Asteran! You traitor!" The enraged Lion King rushed in, charging straight at the other party at a speed that even the Space Marines could not catch up. The latter hastily drew his sharp blade, but the sword was no match for the lion!

With a snap, the lion's fist landed on Astelan's blade, shattering the exquisitely crafted power sword with immense force. Then, the fist landed on Astelan's chest, denting it and nearly severing his waist.

The lion then surveyed the entire venue, gazing at the others. Through his supreme authority, the Lion of Caliban already knew which of them leaned towards Astelan. His rage was almost tangible. Everyone cowered, staring at the sudden appearance of the Lord of the First Legion. They were unsure of the Lion's sudden presence, but his aura, authority, and the repressive power of his bloodline made everyone realize that the man before them was their genetic father.

"Traitor, an unforgivable traitor!" The Lion King prepared to draw his sword and looked at those who had just sided with Astelan.

"Just detain these guys. You can judge them in the future." The seal holder stepped forward and held down the lion's sword-holding hand.

"Traitors should not be forgiven! Malcador, this is my legion!" said the Lion King gritting his teeth.

"Sir, we still need to understand the other side's conspiracy. We need to hide our whereabouts. And now, if so many high-ranking officials are gone at once, Luther will notice. I think it will be difficult to deal with it."

"The mission is the most important thing, my lord." Merlin persuaded in the most tactful way possible.

"Bellon, take them into custody. Merlin, use your psychic power to control them." Zhuangsen said with a grim face.

Mind control psychic powers are a taboo within every legion, but for the Dark Angels, when facing some difficult-to-deal-with aliens, they have used various forms of mind control. However, this is the first time it has been used within their own legion, which shows how angry Zhuangsen is.

"As you command, sir." Peron immediately bowed his head and accepted the order, then took a room full of loyalists to imprison the traitors.

"Are there any traitors hidden among these men?" Jonson glanced at Malcador.

"No. Perhaps some of them wavered, but they ultimately chose not to rebel," Malcador telepathically transmitted.

"Tell me, tell me about them, loyalty cannot be flawed!" Zhuang Sen said in a low voice.

"Enough, Jonson! What you need is an ending with the least possible cost, while mending the relationship between you and the descendants of Caliban, not tearing open this rift and turning the entire planet into ruins. Jonson, this is your home planet. They are all your children, and children are bound to make mistakes. You should give them a chance. After all, many things are judged by deeds rather than by heart."