The Emperor’s Angel of Death

“Approaching Saros Station.”

In the guide's voice, as the fleet approached Jupiter, Solzhenitsyn couldn't help but be shocked by this planet, not because of its colorful, gaseous nature and huge, faint rings, but because of the huge metal structures surrounding it.

Jupiter has a very important position in the history of the human empire. As everyone knows, since the Emperor set foot on Mars, the technical equipment and war machines of the human empire, large and small, have basically come from the Mechanicus. However, the Lord of Humanity probably knew that he should not put all his eggs in one basket. The Void Clan of Jupiter received the Emperor's attention and a lot of resources and technical support.

During the Great Crusade, the Jupiter clans and their shipyards were known for producing many high-quality warships, thanks to the technology they protected from the Mechanicum's influence. The Jupiter shipyards were also one of the few giant shipyards of the Empire that were basically unaffected by the Adeptus Mechanicus and belonged only to the Imperial organization—such as the Emperor-class battleships, Tyrant-class cruisers, and Overlord-class cruisers, which were typical products of the Jupiter shipyards.

During the Horus Heresy, Jupiter was also the center of the third defense circle of the Imperial defenders in the solar system, commanded by Captain Averid of the Imperial Fists.

In the later period of the Solar War, the Iron Warriors, led by the traitor Primarch Perturabo, occupied a large number of Jupiter's satellites and orbital residential areas, but the Iron Warriors did not weaken the resistance of the loyalists, nor did they waste time occupying the residential areas around Jupiter, let alone systematically destroy them, because the battle to besiege Terra was imminent. The Iron Warriors even just looted some equipment and went to Terra to participate in the war.

After the traitors were defeated in the siege of Terra, the Empire quickly recovered Jupiter and its satellites during the Great Purge. At this time, there were even a large number of resisters protecting the Empire's important facilities, so Jupiter's magnificent shipbuilding equipment was mostly preserved.

From a distance, the space docks and forging workshops surrounding Jupiter looked like a ring of steel. It was the second largest industrial body in the solar system after Mars, full of residences, factories, and forging workshops. The energy of the entire ring world came from the radiation gushing out of this huge planet, and most of the industry relied on the rich mineral resources of the planet and its surrounding satellites.

Such a magnificent shipyard naturally made Solzhenitsyn yearn for it.

“If we could build a shipyard of this scale, the losses in the Great Whirlpool Expedition would be nothing. The Chapter would not have to be controlled by various forge worlds all the time.”

After speaking, Solzhenitsyn himself sighed. This was simply a dream more beautiful than the Emperor standing up from his throne.

“Actually, it’s not that there is no chance, it just depends on whether you have the determination.”

The sudden voice did not surprise Solzhenitsyn. He didn't even turn around and said to the person behind him:

“I thought you were not interested in this kind of ‘mundane things’.”

“You think too highly of me.”

Amnak, wearing power armor and a helmet, walked to Solzhenitsyn's side, folded his arms, and stared at Jupiter, which was constantly approaching.

“How should I put it, I was also a monarch, and the most wise, the most benevolent, and the most just monarch.”

“You didn’t come just to brag to me about your past stories, did you?”

“I just came following a confused ambition.”

Solzhenitsyn stared unblinkingly at the scenery outside the observation window and replied faintly:

“Then you’ve come to the wrong place. There’s no ambition here.”

“The greatest ambition is often packaged as a grand wish to save everything.”

“If you can understand something from some of my sighs, then I can only say that you are overthinking it.”

“Then let’s just say that, but I can tell you.”

Amnak pointed a line in the front with his hand.

“If you want to achieve your grand wish, you must be determined to have this kind of power. Actually, you know you have the ability to do it. You have broken some chains, but not enough.”

Suddenly, Solzhenitsyn chuckled and turned his head to say:

“Did you whisper this to Horus’s ear back then?”

Amnak was silent for a moment and shook his head.

“I wasn’t very interested in participating in that matter from the beginning. What I craved was to defeat the strongest champion, or to put it more bluntly, my birth came from the strongest desire to win or lose. And do you really think that everything is the work of the Warp? If the Nemesis blade was pointed at someone like Dorn or Vulcan, what do you think the final result would be? This is the most ridiculous thing. Humans, including the Primarchs, are always unwilling to admit one thing. Horus’s rebellion was definitely not out of thin air. Some seeds were planted in his heart long ago, and the ones who planted these seeds were none other than the former rulers and managers of this empire, named the Emperor and Malcador. You believe this, you know better than anyone else.”

Solzhenitsyn frowned slightly and remained silent. However, some scenes and fantasies that appeared in his mind in the underground of Armageddon suddenly floated into his consciousness like ghosts.

Angry Horus, indifferent Jaghatai Khan, always wearing armor and never showing his true face Alpharius, helpless Malcador…

Questions, arguments, and finally evolved into conflict—

The most powerful demigods, the wisest sages, seem unable to escape the vortex of emotions.

Horus may not be able to understand the Emperor and Malcador’s painstaking efforts, so can’t the Emperor and Malcador notice the doubts and confusion in the heart of this head of the Primarchs? Or did they…from the beginning—

If everything is a decision made to take care of the overall situation, then when this decision itself destroys the so-called overall situation, everything looks so absurd and ridiculous, just like the countless follies that have occurred in human history.

At this time, a sentence that Weletz said jumped into Solzhenitsyn's mind.

Human history is always surprisingly similar, but it will not simply repeat itself.

Perhaps this is the dilemma the Emperor is facing?

“If the fall of Primarchs such as Fulgrim and Lorgar are all traps of the Ruinous Powers, then how should Alpharius, Curze, Perturabo, and others be explained?”

“Okay, what’s the point of talking about these old things? Tell me, what are you here for?”

“In a prison on Saturn, there is something or someone very important to you.”

Solzhenitsyn's brows furrowed even deeper.

“Explain clearly.”

“A relic left by Xerxes, something that the Eleventh Legion’s Primarch found in the Yemenga star monolith. It was a creation located in the Ultima Segmentum, Attila system. Xerxes discovered it when he first led the legion on an expedition, and took away something very important. After Xerxes died, it was kept deep in the Imperial Palace on Terra. During the Horus Heresy, Malcador seemed to intend to use it, but was forced to give up because the distance was too far. Then he handed it over to his subordinates, who were the first members of the Inquisition. They took it to Saturn and placed it in a secret warehouse. It is estimated that it has long been forgotten.”

After listening, Solzhenitsyn turned around, stared at Amnak, and asked a question.

“Who told you?”