Twenty Imperial Custodes surrounded Rhodes, gleaming in golden armor.
The 3,000 Space Wolves felt an unimaginable pressure—not so much from force, but psychological.
"Great Wolf, this doesn't look good," a Wolf Lord said.
"Imperial Custodes—they haven't left the Palace in ten thousand years. And that's a primarch—I can feel his aura," another Wolf Lord said.
Great Wolf Logan Grimnar said nothing, only frowned as he observed the newcors.
The Custodes represent the Emperor Himself.
The Space Wolves' Month of Sha incident with the Inquisition and Grey Knights had led to a brutal war, with heavy losses, worse even than Angron's attack on Fenris.
Afterward, the Wolves forbade the Inquisition and Grey Knights from entering their territory.
Since then, the Wolves had been disillusioned with the Imperium.
But not long after, the Emperor awoke on the Golden Throne!
Roboute Guilliman returned and reford the chapters into legions again—sothing the Space Wolves approved of.
To them, the Codex Astartes was less than toilet paper.
They always had numbers far exceeding a chapter.
As a founding chapter, the Wolves had their pride—Fenris was a death world, but its people are fierce.
If Guilliman restores the legions, the Wolves have no complaint, but then all sorts of nonsense happened, including the return of Magnus the Red!
That traitor, slain by the Wolves themselves, had a deep grudge with them.
Then it was revealed the Grey Knights' gene-seed ca from Magnus—no wonder the Wolves felt disgusted by the Grey Knights.
The Wolves flatly refused to accept Magnus' return and openly defied the new political order.
Expecting Imperial retaliation, Grimnar summoned all available Wolf Lords and companies!
"Tell all packs—unless they attack first, our n are not to fire the first shot. Restrain yourselves. We'll talk first," Grimnar ordered.
The Wolf Lords nodded, relaying the order.
"Great Wolf Logan Grimnar, I'm glad you didn't attack as we landed, but welcod us instead," Rhodes said with a smile, approaching the Wolves' ranks.
To appear more imposing, Rhodes used his cosmic beast power to make himself 3.8 ters tall.
Nearly four ters of height, clad in heavy crimson armor, he was a formidable sight.
Great Wolf Logan Grimnar rode up on his wolf, dismounted, and faced Rhodes.
"Greetings, my lord primarch Rhodes. Are you the missing Eleventh or Second Primarch?"
Many suspected Rhodes and Elena of being the lost Second and Eleventh Primarchs.
"I'm neither the Second nor Eleventh. My and Elena's origins are Imperial secrets, your clearance isn't high enough," Rhodes said.
"No matter. We Wolves aren't interested in such secrets," Grimnar replied.
"Let introduce soone. My first gene-sons co from the Deathwatch. Among them is a forr Space Wolf, now bearing my gene-seed. I brought him back," Rhodes said, beckoning.
A massive marine, 3.2 ters tall, walked over and removed his helt, revealing a very familiar face.
"Long ti no see, my old pack!" Dres said.
"It's you, Dres—you're still alive, you disgrace to the pack!" a Space Wolf snarled.
Dres shrugged helplessly. All Blackshields had severed ties with their parent chapters, even removing their insignia.
"The Wolves don't welco him—Fenris doesn't welco him. You don't know what he did; he's exiled forever," Grimnar declared.
If not for the primarch, he'd have drawn his chainsword already.
Rhodes looked speechlessly at Dres; how disliked are the Blackshields by their parent chapters?
"Told you, my lord, I'm not welco here," Dres said. He knew Rhodes brought him to seek a peaceful solution.
He and Titus were different; Titus was wronged by his parent chapter, but Dres had wronged his own pack.
"No matter his cris, after serving in the Deathwatch and my chapter, he's atoned enough! When I first t them, in their brave fight against the Tyranids, I pardoned all their sins on behalf of the Emperor," Rhodes declared.
He radiated golden psychic light—warmth that moved all the Space Wolves.
"Dres, you have atoned and joined another chapter, so from today you have no ties to the pack. But Fenris still does not welco you," Grimnar said.
"I know a sinner like shouldn't step on this sacred land. But I ca today hoping my forr comrades would not suffer disaster.
This ti, it's really the Emperor's orders—you saw the Custodes. This isn't the Inquisition or High Lords' plot; the High Lords have been abolished," Dres said.
If not for fear that Fenris would be destroyed, he'd never have returned.
"Besides being a primarch, I am also the Emperor's chosen. You must have heard of the Emperor's avatar," Rhodes said.
"So—the Emperor is truly awake? Did Abaddon's fall of Cadia cause the Great Rift and awaken the Emperor?" Grimnar asked.
"Believe it. All of it is true. I know what bothers you—the Codex Astartes. Frankly, I hate it too! It's not even fit for toilet paper," Rhodes said.
"Hahaha, I agree!" Grimnar laughed. This primarch seed frank, and they shared a view.
"A year ago, I revived Guilliman, who'd slept ten thousand years. I beat him up and made him abolish the Codex and the chapter system," Rhodes said.
"Hahaha! That's brilliant!
If our primarch were here, he'd do the sa." The Wolves all laughed. The grim tension eased.
"So, Lord Rhodes, what brings you to Fenris? Should we offer you ad or blades?" Grimnar asked.
"First, I'll restore the legion system, which I believe the Wolves will welco," Rhodes said.
"Restoring the legion is the pack's wish," Grimnar replied.
"Good! Secondly, your n must accept the new Primaris Astartes upgrades. The old Astartes are outdated—Primaris are the new standard against new foes," Rhodes said.
Grimnar fell silent. The Wolves resisted the new Astartes, seeing them as re Ultramarine-styled supern.
"Great Wolf, Lord Rhodes is right. Look at —I'm now as strong as a Custodes! Before, I was just a regular Wolf. I've sparred with Custodes for months now," Dres said.
The Custodes beside Rhodes nodded. The new Astartes were worthy of respect—at least, Rhodes' gene-sons with perfect upgrades. Imperfect ones with only four implants weren't much, and soon the Custodes would get their own upgrades.
"Haha! If you can beat a Custodes, I could beat ten!" a Space Wolf laughed.
"If you doubt , any Wolf Lord can challenge . I'll have him on the ground in ten seconds," Dres said.
Just with Primaris power, he could match a Custodes. In berserk mode, it'd take two to stop him.
"Let's have a friendly duel, then! You Wolves respect strength, so let Dres prove how tough Primaris really are," Rhodes said.
"You know the pack well. We'll have our youngest Wolf Lord, Ragnar Blackmane, step up!" Grimnar called.
A 2.5-ter-tall young man, taller than most new Marines, stepped forward.
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