Chapter 72 Another Great Crusade

Having already gained experience from terraforming the Baal System, remodeling Sotha was an absolute breeze for Vane. He activated the Vein Miner mod and, along with the Steve stand, started placing Dirt blocks across the barren rock.

All he had to do was place a single block, and with a rapid swish, the Dirt blocks aggressively replicated and spread all the way to the horizon.

The sheer, incomprehensible efficiency of the process left Celestine, Yvraine, and the rest of the spectators staring in absolute, stunned silence.

In just a few days, Vane had carpeted the entire supercontinent in Dirt blocks. He spammed some Bone Meal to instantly grow dense forests and lush vegetation. Finally, he used the Infinite Water Source mechanic to refill the dried ocean basins, naturally generating a brand new atmosphere.

“Alright, work here is done.”

Having wrapped up the terraforming, Vane clapped the dust off his hands, ready to leave. He had restored the baseline ecological environment; the rest of the tedious busywork could be handed over to Archmagos Cawl. The Archmagos would just have to dig through the Imperium’s genetic seed vaults, pull Sotha’s original archived biodiversity data, and use cloning tech to artificially kickstart a self-sustaining biosphere.

“Wait, the terraforming is… already complete?!”

Zarhulash, the Potentate, stared in disbelief. A completely stripped, lifeless rock had just been transformed into a vibrant, living world covered in hundreds of meters of topsoil in a matter of days. What exactly was the difference between this level of power and a literal Creator God?! Even the Old Ones—the ancient beings who had beaten the C’tan so badly they questioned their own existence—couldn’t terraform a world this effortlessly!

It’s a damn good thing I surrendered so quickly. Otherwise, he absolutely would have killed me!

Eldrad and the Aeldari Farseers were equally mind-blown. Even at the absolute, undisputed peak of the ancient Aeldari Empire, they couldn’t turn a barren asteroid into a flourishing garden world in less than a week.

“Praise be to the God-Emperor and the Forefather,” Celestine murmured, her tone utterly devout.

She had initially planned to just say “Praise be to the God-Emperor, for all is His divine will.” But after a moment of reflection, she quickly amended her prayer. If she only praised the Emperor, what if the Forefather felt left out and got upset? It was much safer to just praise both of them simultaneously.

—

Having delegated Sotha’s post-reconstruction logistics, Vane boarded the Imperial Retribution and headed back to Macragge. Thanks to some highly favorable Warp currents, a journey that normally took a week was completed in a single hour.

The moment the Imperial Retribution translated back into the Macragge system, they were greeted by a mind-bogglingly massive Imperial armada.

Following the activation of the Beacon lighthouse and the broadcasted return of the Primarchs, military forces from all across the Imperium Sanctus had frantically rallied to Macragge. The Imperial Navy, the Inquisition, the Adepta Sororitas, the Adeptus Mechanicus, Imperial Knight Houses, Titan Legions, and even the Sisters of Silence who had previously gathered in the Cryptus System—they were all here.

Vane, Greyfax, and the others stood by the viewport, staring out at the staggeringly vast armada assembling in the void.

“This is completely absurd. I’ve never seen this many warships amassed in a single sector,” Greyfax breathed, her voice thick with awe.

“This fleet is significantly larger than the armada assembled during the Fall of Cadia,” Celestine agreed.

“The sheer rallying power of the Primarchs is truly terrifying,” Greyfax added, genuinely moved.

“It’s more than just rallying power. The Primarchs possess the most orthodox, unassailable claim to authority within the Imperium. They have the absolute right to mobilize these forces, and these forces have answered their ancient oaths of loyalty,” Celestine noted, looking much deeper into the political reality than the Inquisitor.

During the 13th Black Crusade, many Imperial factions had rushed to Cadia’s defense voluntarily after receiving prophetic visions or astropathic distress calls, not because they were directly ordered by Terra. At the time, the High Lords of Terra were so deeply entrenched in their own arrogance that they genuinely believed Abaddon could never breach the Cadian Gate, treating the invasion as a secondary concern. Hell, while Cadia was literally falling, the High Lords were still bogged down in bureaucratic debates over whether or not to repeal the Edict of Restraint and allow the Adeptus Custodes to leave Terra. It was only due to the frantic, multi-lateral maneuvering of Chancellor of the Imperial Estate Jek that the scattered Cadian regiments were finally authorized to return home.

Vane didn’t chime in. He just silently listened to the Inquisitor and the Living Saint chat while admiring the endless sea of warships outside.

Just then, a Chapter serf approached.

“Forefather, the three Primarchs have been informed of your return. They humbly request your presence in the Macragge Orbital Spire’s grand strategium to discuss the upcoming crusade.”

Hearing the message, everyone turned to look at Vane.

“Sure.”

Vane casually pulled some Obsidian blocks and a Flint and Steel out of his inventory. Like a magician performing a parlor trick, he rapidly built and ignited a Nether Portal right there on the deck, stepped through, and bypassed orbital transit to arrive directly inside the grand strategium.

—

The Macragge Orbital Spire’s strategium was currently packed with high-ranking commanders and representatives from every branch of the Imperial war machine.

Astra Militarum Lord Generals stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Canoness Superiors of the Sororitas. Tech-Priests from various Forge Worlds were huddled in tight circles, debating the impossible physics of the Beacon lighthouse while simultaneously praising Vane as the literal, walking avatar of the Omnissiah. Chapter Masters of the Adeptus Astartes, Inquisitorial Lord Inquisitors, Knight House Baronets, and Titan Princeps mingled, intensely discussing the tactical situation across various sectors.

In a secluded corner, Sister-Commander Atalia and her Sisters of Silence stood completely isolated. Their Pariah nature radiated a deeply unsettling aura, ensuring no one voluntarily approached them.

The three Primarchs commanded the absolute center of the strategium. Standing before them were three massive Space Marines, noticeably taller and broader than the standard Astartes.

“I must admit, Belisarius Cawl is a genius,” the Lion said, offering genuine praise as he inspected the Primaris Space Marines.

Among the Mechanicus forces that had rallied to Macragge were several Archmagi allied with Cawl. They had delivered the Primaris Space Marines along with a host of upgraded technologies. The Lion, Sanguinius, and Guilliman had personally tested the Primaris Marines and confirmed the results: they possessed faster reaction times and significantly higher baseline combat efficacy than Firstborn Astartes.

With these new, reinforced warriors, they finally had the manpower to launch a brand new Great Crusade.

And their very first target? The Drukhari hiding deep within the Webway.

Following the opening of the Great Rift, Imperial forces had been stretched to the absolute breaking point. The Dark Aeldari had ruthlessly exploited this chaos, launching massive, unprovoked realspace raids and massacring countless Imperial worlds. The Haemonculi Covens had turned entire planetary populations into their sick, twisted “art,” erecting horrifying, mountainous sculptures forged entirely from still-living flesh.

This cancer had to be surgically excised, otherwise, billions more would suffer.

Furthermore, conquering Commorragh wasn’t just about vengeance—it was about seizing control of the shattered Webway network. Even if Vane’s Obsidian Highway project couldn’t be completed overnight, controlling the Webway would grant the Imperium unparalleled, instantaneous strategic mobility across the galaxy, allowing them to finally mount a devastating counter-offensive against Chaos.

The Drukhari might be a degenerate, fallen splinter faction, but they still hoarded a massive portion of the ancient Aeldari Empire’s technological legacy. A full-scale invasion of Commorragh would undoubtedly spark a conflict that made an Apocalypse-class war look like a minor skirmish.

“With the Primaris Marines reinforcing our ranks, I am significantly more confident in this crusade,” Sanguinius said, his tone resolute. Between the Forefather’s miraculous interventions and these upgraded Astartes, they would absolutely not repeat the failures of ten thousand years ago.

“Then let us begin anew,” Guilliman said, clenching his fist. “This time, we will personally see our father’s great work completed.”

Suddenly, a swirling purple portal ripped open in the center of the strategium, instantly triggering mass panic. Marneus Calgar and the Ultramarines Honor Guard reacted instantly, drawing their bolters and dropping into combat stances.

“Stand down! It’s the Forefather!” Sanguinius shouted immediately, intercepting Calgar before anyone did something incredibly stupid.

Vane casually strolled out of the portal, glancing around the massive room. “Oh, wow. Pretty lively in here.”

“Forefather.”

“Forefather.”

The three Primarchs immediately took the lead, bowing deeply. The rest of the Imperial commanders and representatives instantly followed suit, dropping to one knee in absolute reverence.

If this were the old days, some hardliner would have undoubtedly screamed heresy, accusing them of staging a coup to replace the God-Emperor with the Forefather. But now? No one dared utter a single word of protest. In their eyes, the word ‘god’ wasn’t even grand enough to describe Vane anymore.

He had resurrected Sanguinius and elevated him to godhood. He had granted Guilliman the authority of War, allowing him to defeat a physical manifestation of Khorne. He had bestowed upon the Lion the primordial flames capable of incinerating daemons and gods alike. And on top of all that, he could seemingly create anything out of thin air.

No ordinary god could do that. Only the omnipotent, omniscient Creator from the genesis myths possessed that kind of absolute power.

“Alright, skip the formalities,” Vane waved his hand dismissively. “So, what did you guys need me for?”

“Forefather, it’s like this,” Sanguinius said, stepping forward with a warm smile. “We are on the verge of launching a new Great Crusade. We would be incredibly honored if you would serve as our Supreme Commander.”

“Yes, Forefather!” The Lion and Guilliman nodded emphatically.

“Please lead us, Forefather!” The surrounding commanders echoed the sentiment, their voices thick with desperate anticipation.

Whether the Emperor could lead them to victory was highly debatable—after all, he couldn’t even stand up. But the Forefather? His win rate was guaranteed to be 100%.

Vane only hesitated for a single second before decisively accepting.

If he led the Imperium to conquer the entire galaxy, what kind of ridiculous, legendary titles would he unlock?

Just thinking about it was getting him genuinely hyped.

“Then, please, Supreme Commander, honor us with a pre-crusade address,” Sanguinius requested, thrilled by Vane’s acceptance.

The three Primarchs respectfully escorted Vane up to the central dais. A swarm of servo-skulls carrying heavy vox-casters immediately drifted down, hovering right in front of him. As Vane prepared to speak, absolute, pin-drop silence fell over the massive strategium.

“It’s just one measly little galaxy. The fact that there are still factions refusing to submit to humanity… isn’t that a total betrayal of our ancestors?!”

“Let the war begin! Starting from Macragge and marching straight to the edge of the universe! Let the sea of stars boil, and let the planets fall!”

“If we cannot rule this universe in the name of Humanity, then let it burn!”

“It’s time to remind the Dark Aeldari of the absolute terror of being dominated by humanity!”

“Crusade! Let us start another Great Crusade!”