Chapter 120 I Wiped It Out

Riding a gunship, Vane and others followed the massive tunnel scorched out by the atomic breath straight back to the surface. A crowd of Astartes and Imperial generals were stationed at the exit, waiting with bated breath.

As it turned out, once they caught wind that Trajann, Captain-General of the Custodes, had accompanied the Forefather and Big E to Armageddon, they had all rushed over to wait for them. The welcoming committee included the legendary Commissar Yarrick, as well as the Astartes Chapter Masters who had come to reinforce the Armageddon warzone.

The moment the gunship appeared, the crowd erupted into roaring cheers. They slammed their hands over their chests in the sign of the Aquila, screaming oaths of loyalty at the top of their lungs.

Big E originally wanted to just ignore them, but Vane figured since they weren’t in a massive rush, a quick appearance wouldn’t hurt. He had the pilot pop the hatch and practically dragged Big E over to the doorway to wave at the crowd.

Seeing the Forefather and Big E show their faces whipped the already stoked crowd into an absolute frenzy. Plenty of them couldn’t hold back tears and started bawling.

Only after the gunship ascended high into the atmosphere and disappeared completely, docking with the warships in the void, did the emotional crowd reluctantly disperse and return to their posts.

—

The fleet that had followed Vane to Armageddon was currently locked in a heated firefight with the Orks and Chaos forces, blasting away in a chaotic slugfest.

Given that the Armageddon warzone was a literal meat grinder, Vane and the crew ultimately decided to leave the bulk of the warships behind. They handpicked just two or three vessels to head toward the Cryptus System.

Utilizing the Webway, Vane’s group arrived at the Cryptus System without a hitch.

By now, thanks to the beacon and the Obsidian Highway, the Cryptus System had transformed into the largest transit hub in the entire Imperium Nihilus. It was booming, with a massive volume of ships arriving and departing daily.

Beyond the economic boom, the Cryptus System boasted some serious military muscle. Before heading to Macragge, Sanguinius had ordered a large portion of the Sons of Sanguinius to stay back and protect the beacon. Add in Imperial General Droste’s rallying call, which drew numerous Cadian regiments and Cadians across the sea of stars to defend the system. On top of that, forces from the Adeptus Mechanicus, Knight Houses, the Ecclesiarchy, and others had flocked in, turning the Cryptus System into a colossal fortress of war.

Not wanting to waste any time, Vane kept a low profile and secretly summoned Droste.

Seeing Big E and Vane, Droste was beyond thrilled, practically stumbling over his words. “You’re… you’re really back, My Lord! Forefather actually brought you back to us.”

“Calm down first. I already told you, there’s nothing I can’t do.” Vane patted Droste on the shoulder. “By the way, where is the Little Necrontyr?”

“He is taking classes with his teacher, just as you instructed earlier.”

“Bring him and his teacher here.”

“Right away, I’ll have someone handle it immediately.”

Droste hopped on his comms to have the Little Necrontyr and his human teacher escorted over. While they waited, Vane brought up another matter.

“How are those cultists doing?”

Droste scratched his head. “Not many left, honestly. The work is way too dangerous, and the accident rate is through the roof.”

“If they’re gone, they’re gone. They were just heretics anyway, so burning through them as expendables is what it is.” Vane had just asked in passing. Hearing that they had mostly been used up as cannon fodder, he didn’t give it a second thought.

Standing off to the side, Big E and Eldrad couldn’t help but be a little speechless.

Seriously, you are using Chaos cultists as cannon fodder… who is the real evil god here??

After a short wait, several servants escorted the Little Necrontyr in alongside his human teacher.

Likely due to his species’ inherently short lifespans, the Little Necrontyr grew incredibly fast. He already looked like he was seven or eight years old, and in a bit more time, he’d probably hit full adulthood. Seeing unfamiliar faces, the kid was noticeably timid, his gemstone-like eyes filled with apprehension.

“Huh? Why doesn’t the Necrontyr have the curse on him?!” The moment Trazyn saw the Little Necrontyr, he ran a scan on him, only to discover that he was completely free of the signature genetic curse of the Necrontyr race.

“I wiped it out,” Vane said casually.

Trazyn froze for a moment, speechless. Without the curse, it meant this new generation of Necrontyr wouldn’t have to live in constant fear of their painfully short lifespans like their ancestors did. Their race’s culture and hope could actually be passed down normally.

At that very moment, Trazyn felt a sharp pang of jealousy toward humanity.

Why isn’t a badass like Vane part of the Necrontyr race?

He would gladly trade the Silent King, the Stormlord, and a whole bargain bin of Necron Overlords for him.

“Bring him along, we’re heading to Terra. Once we get the Pantheon sorted, we’ll go deal with the Silent King and the Stormlord.” Vane pulled out the linking book and activated it. In the next second, a blinding light erupted, illuminating the entire room.

Droste instinctively threw his arm up to block the flash of the teleportation. By the time he lowered his hand and his vision cleared, the space in front of him was totally empty. Vane and Big E were long gone.

“Gone again already?”

Droste sighed softly, his mind wandering back to his very first meeting with Vane.

“Show some respect. I told you, I’m Vane. Which means I’m your Forefather, straight out of a forgotten era.”

“What else would I be here for? To clean up the massive mess you brats made, obviously.”

“You let a bunch of bugs beat you into this pathetic state. Do me a favor and stop calling yourselves human—it’s embarrassing to your ancestors.”

“Back in the day, when my generation stepped off Ancient Terra, we were untouchable. We slaughtered our way through the galaxy until no one dared challenge us. Now look at you guys… what a disgrace.”

Thinking back on all those moments, Droste couldn’t help but chuckle.

Back then, he had been so thoroughly broken by Hive Fleet Leviathan that he was ready to eat a bolter round. But right at rock bottom, he met Vane. And this guy really managed to single-handedly flip the entire Imperium on its head, reverse humanity’s losing streak against the Warp and xenos, and completely clean up their god-awful mess.

“Forefather, just how many more surprises and changes are you going to bring us?”

Droste couldn’t help but fantasize about what the Imperium would look like the next time he saw Vane! Of course, there was a very high chance they’d never cross paths again. The Imperium of Man was incomprehensibly massive, its population practically infinite. Just having shared a fragment of history with Vane was incredibly precious. Hoping for anything more would just be getting greedy.

After using the linking book to return to the warship, Vane ordered the fleet to set a course for Terra. Meanwhile, Big E guided the Primarchs back to Terra as well.

By the time Vane and his entourage navigated the turbulent Immaterium and arrived in the Sol System, the Primarchs scattered across the galaxy had already made it, waiting in the Imperial Palace for their father.