Chapter 995 - 994: Alpharius: We Won Years Ago

"Father, Archoi has already failed," said Gukur, Chief Librarian of the Alpha Legion, to Alpharius.

Alpharius wore a long robe. He chuckled softly.

"Before Nareth arrived, we had already won."

"We began preparing long before this war. We operate across every sphere of conflict, secretly sowing our seeds, carefully laying the groundwork for the victory that was bound to come."

"Nareth's Legion is powerful and full of secrets. It took us some time to grasp his weaknesses."

Alpharius's gaze flickered with a sharp edge. "Now, we have taken root within his Legion."

"Their movements are already within our grasp. Nareth's mighty Legion has no secrets."

Alpharius recalled what Omegon had recounted of his meeting with Nareth, how he had refused the offer of the Warmaster's position.

"Nareth's views are too simplistic. His sense of responsibility is too heavy."

"He cannot see the true threat. That is his weakness."

"His methods cannot win this war. His Legion will be worn down, weakened, and ultimately destroyed alongside him."

Alpharius took up his lance and strode toward Silonius.

"Victory is never decided at the start of a war. We won years ago. The only question is the specific form that victory will take."

"I will give him a chance, show him a future of hope."

"He once helped Omegon. He can also understand our view on secrets."

"In that case, how may I serve you?" asked Harrowmaster Kel Silonius.

"You will represent me and command the battle for Diamat." Alpharius walked up to Silonius and gazed into his eyes.

After Silonius had risen from a Headhunter to Harrowmaster, he had become one of their Father's favorite commanders, alongside First Captain Ingo Pech and Second Captain Mathias Herzog.

The blade of the Pale Spear cut open his right pinky finger and was extended before Silonius.

Silonius dropped to one knee. His gaze swept over one of the twin rings carved upon it, then he extended his tongue and licked the crimson pearl.

Gukur's eyes turned completely black, emitting pale light.

Two bolts of lightning struck Silonius and Alpharius simultaneously, tightly entwining their bodies.

Alpharius's and Silonius's minds bloomed open like petals at the same time, then pressed together and intertwined.

Countless images flashed by. Emotions merged.

Their consciousnesses were torn into fragments.

Alpharius's frame shrank. The robe hung loosely.

Silonius's frame swelled, bursting the robe in an instant.

They looked at each other as if staring at a reflection in a mirror.

The electric light slowly subsided. "Silonius" nodded.

"Now you are Omegon. You will be the supreme commander of twenty thousand Alphas."

As he spoke, he walked toward Silonius's armor.

Most of the Imperium, even the Primarchs, did not know of Alpharius's existence.

Even though he had followed the Emperor and met nearly all the returned Primarchs, the one who represented the Alpharius identity was Omegon, whom Nareth had saved from Bar'Savor.

"Omegon" donned the Primarch's armor. Following memory, he found the Primarch's command channel.

"Infiltrators, move out!"

The Alpha infiltrators' duty was to assassinate key officers, strike key positions, and sabotage key assets to create chaos.

The elite among them were formed into kill teams, Headhunters.

Five hours later, a hundred Headhunters clad in full-spectrum camouflage armor followed "Omegon" into the Croyten Forge.

"Omegon's" eyes moved. Ever since he had drunk the blood and gained the Primarch's memories, he had been adapting to his body.

He felt his strength grow greater, his speed faster. Even his eyesight and other sensory perceptions surpassed what they had been before.

He had also mastered infiltration knowledge and techniques beyond anything any Headhunter could imagine. He could now even infiltrate the Imperial Palace guarded by the Custodes, the most powerful fortress in the galaxy, just as their Father had once done.

Twenty-seven Shadows of Order, led by a Lieutenant. Although they were far from his true target, "Omegon" decided not to let this unit go.

The scattered wreckage of power armor and mortal corpses around them showed that they had killed an equal number of Sons of Horus and over a thousand auxiliary troops, losing only four Shadows of Order.

There was at least one Librarian among them. He was a valuable prey.

"Omegon's" mind spun rapidly, instantly calculating the optimal attack distance.

He opened the communication channel built into his helmet. "The Shadows of Order Librarians are mostly from the Telepathic discipline. Our full-spectrum camouflage will fail within three hundred meters of them."

"We will attack at three hundred sixty meters."

The Headhunters silently closed in on their prey, utterly soundless within the silent ruins.

"Omegon's" step suddenly paused.

The Lieutenant looked over his gaze lingered for several seconds beside the burning furnace, then moved away.

"Omegon" glanced at the tactical interface.

'Four hundred nine meters.'

'He's just a Lieutenant. It's impossible for him to detect me at this distance.'

As "Omegon" pondered, his left boot came down.

The Lieutenant's averted gaze snapped back. He raised his hand, and a rapidly condensing blazing white spear took shape in an instant, howling as it flew toward him.

'Pyrokinesis discipline?'

'How could his psychic perception be so sharp?'

"Omegon" searched the Primarch's memories, puzzled.

As he pondered, he issued the order ahead of time: "Attack!"

The Headhunters raised their Doombolt combi-bolters, firing ammunition specially designed to penetrate power armor.

Alpharius had provided Russ's Codex Omega combat data to Archoi. The Archmagos had made targeted improvements to his Skitarii to better contend with the Shadows of Order.

He had also improved the ammunition, manufacturing eight thousand nine hundred rounds for the Headhunters.

Boom!

The first bolt struck precisely on the left shoulder pauldron of the Mark IV Maximus-pattern power armor.

The Shadow of Order body staggered from the impact. His auto-sense system flashed a series of warning runes.

[Left shoulder pauldron damaged: 83.47%.]

His heart lurched. He knew the new armor had saved him from losing an arm.

The Seventh Chapter rarely equipped the cumbersome Mark II. Mark II armor could not defend against bolt strikes of this power.

Mark III reinforced frontal defense, but its vulnerable sides could not possibly block such an attack either.

As the Shadow of Order pondered, he quickly retreated behind the furnace, raised his bolter, and counterattacked the exposed blurry figures.

The Headhunters' first volley of fire had only downed two Shadows of Order at the center of the crossfire.

The Shadows of Order took cover and launched their counterattack.

The ambush swiftly degenerated into a frontal confrontation.

....

If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.

[email protected]/DaoistJinzu