Chapter 265: Macragge, Hera Fortress

Hera Fortress, home of the Space Marines of the Ultramarines.

If the Angel's Citadel of the Blood Angels resembles an angelic city amid golden sands—a steadfast, sacred, and majestic fortress visible from orbit—a holy abode,

then Hera Fortress is more like a temple of ancient Rome.

This fortress, designed by Roboute Guilliman, is filled with golden domes, slender corridors, elegant balconies, mosaic floors, and spiraling staircases.

These designs are not merely for beauty; every structure that appears purely aesthetic is in fact a masterstroke by the Primarch, capable of transforming into weapon emplacements, firing points, battlements, ramparts, and assault positions during invasion.

Such designs blanket the seven flattened mountain peaks, forming this fortress-monastery.

Yet today, this monastery has been silently infiltrated.

A gate of passage opened and closed in an instant, then vanished from its location—all in less than a second.

Zhou Yun and Sylandrie the Veilwalker appeared here wearing the Blindspot Star, standing upon an exquisite balcony.

Even the Primarch's genius mind cannot conceive of what does not exist.

Roboute Guilliman never anticipated the existence of the Gate of Passage or the Blindspot Star.

Of course, there is another reason.

Hera Fortress, built atop seven mountain peaks, is too vast—the current Ultramarines Chapter cannot fill it, leaving the place eerily empty.

Sylandrie the Veilwalker's expression twitched.

That device Zhou Yun called the Gate of Passage could open a door to anywhere simply by speaking its name.

At first glance, this thing was far more useful than the Webway, leaving Sylandrie the Veilwalker bewildered.

Could humans really possess such technology?!

And Sylandrie the Veilwalker was certain—the Gate of Passage did not traverse the Warp!

What did that mean? Sylandrie the Veilwalker understood instantly.

My goddamn Webway's been outdone by a damn coin!

Zhou Yun paid no mind to Sylandrie the Veilwalker's mood.

He knew that with only this one Gate of Passage, it would still be difficult to outmatch the Webway.

Without tools like the Enlarger-Reducer, the Gate of Passage could not transport fleets or large quantities of cargo.

Of course, Zhou Yun could still move small fleets via the Fourth-Dimensional Pocket—but there was only one such pocket, and spare ones in the Future Department Store cost more than Timecloth.

Plus, each use was limited to ten light-years.

For now, humanity still needed the Eldar Webway.

That was why Zhou Yun had kept Sylandrie the Veilwalker alive—he waited for Xigole to appear, so he could sneak into the Black Library and steal the Webway's map.

Zhou Yun lifted his gaze slightly, looking upward.

Beneath the stars, a hazy violet curtain encircled the sky, struck by countless volleys of fire, rippling with each impact, its thunder never ceasing.

In the distance, traitor Titans unleashed their artillery, yet Hera Fortress, true to its legacy as the Ultramarines' former stronghold, held firm against this massive assault.

Most Ultramarines stood atop the walls, repelling the Black Legion's advance.

Overall, the Ultramarines' situation was better than that of the Blood Angels when they faced the Black Legion.

Hera Fortress was better preserved, the Ultramarines had not lost their void power, they received support from nearby planets, and they possessed their own mortal auxiliaries—the Auspex Militia.

Though nominally merely planetary PDFs, these mortals were incomparably stronger than Asford's rabble.

Zhou Yun lowered his gaze from the sky and turned to the map in his mind.

Eleven locations were blurred—too many. He suspected some were decoys.

But regardless, one of them was the Guilliman Sanctum, the Primarch's slumbering chamber.

Zhou Yun only needed to investigate each one in turn to find the exact location.

As he thought, he pulled Sylandrie the Veilwalker through Hera Fortress.

Soon, they reached the nearest blurred zone.

The grandest structure in this area was a Roman-style temple, its vast circular dome like a setting sun along the horizon, connected by corridors, towers, and halls into a complex architectural web.

But to Zhou Yun and Sylandrie the Veilwalker's surprise, its defenses were not heavy.

Aside from a few Auspex Militia and mortal attendants, almost no other guards were visible.

Had the building not appeared so magnificent, they might have suspected it was one of the decoys.

Using the Blindspot Star's effect, the two entered the temple through its main gate as if walking through air.

Then Zhou Yun immediately understood what this place was.

Layer upon layer of bookshelves formed primal geometric structures spanning the entire temple, arranged like a labyrinth, filling the space with a dizzying, alien order. Shelves held books, scrolls, and data-plates.

These texts emitted the ancient scent of paper and ink, mingling with the incense drifting through the air, as if one had reached the deepest core of human history and knowledge.

Temple servants moved between the shelves, yet their footsteps seemed entirely absorbed by the surrounding books.

This was the Ptolemaic Library, one of humanity's largest libraries, housing all Ultramarines' historical and scholarly records—second only to the grand library on Terra, and containing records even Terra lacked.

Such as those concerning the Second Empire.

Zhou Yun quickly understood why there were so few defenses here.

For the people within this building were the best defense.

Several Ultramarine Librarians moved through its halls, yet these powerful psykers merely fetched and carried texts for the one deep within the library.

Digeris, Chief Librarian of the Ultramarines—theoretically the Empire's strongest Librarian.

His power surpassed that of Mephiston before his Primaris transformation and before merging with the Black Rage.

A psyker like Leina would not survive more than a few rounds against him.

Yet Digeris was not famed for combat.

His true renown lay in his uncannily precise prophetic abilities.

In Zhou Yun's memory, Digeris should have already foreseen the existence of Belisarius Cawl's party.

Digeris sifted through the intricate texts before him, seeking guidance from fate.

A blue, round figure.

That figure would arrive with a Great Sage, bringing hope.

Digeris sought traces of the blue figure in these texts.

Yet after searching extensively, he found not a single clue.

As if the figure had never existed in recorded human history.

Digeris had now examined all records from the 30th to the 40th Millennium.

He had even begun searching for records from the Old Night, before the Emperor's emergence.

Yet still, he found nothing.

If the blue figure had ever appeared in human history, it must have been during the Golden Age—or even farther back.

Digeris had attempted to use his prophetic power to probe deeper into the blue figure's existence.

But as soon as he began the first attempt, he felt a bone-chilling cold.

The Emperor's warning came before Digeris's action—he warned Digeris not to meddle.

Digeris sighed faintly. He had read many records from the Old Night of Macragge and found nothing of value.

"My Lord."

A temple servant hurried past the library entrance and bowed respectfully to Digeris:

"Rafis has reported: a Great Sage of the Adeptus Mechanicus, Belisarius Cawl, has appeared at Rafis."

"He is accompanied by Cadian Shock Troops, an Inquisitor, the Living Saint Celestine, and… two Eldar."

"Great Sage Belisarius Cawl claims he has an agreement with the Lord of Auspex and is currently aboard the Blade of Glory, en route to Macragge."

Digeris's expression shifted slightly.

He had already instructed his servants to report any relevant information immediately.

"Belisarius Cawl."

Digeris swiftly manipulated his psychic energy, pulling several scrolls from the shelves.

He unrolled them and quickly found the information he needed.

The name Belisarius Cawl had appeared ten thousand years ago.

And this Great Sage had once served his gene-father, Roboute Guilliman!

Digeris's expression turned grave—he must inform Chapter Master Calgar.

This could determine Calgar's next decision.

"Where is the Chapter Master?" Digeris asked.

The servant bowed his head slightly: "The Chapter Master is currently in the Sanctum of Purification, praying to the Primarch."

Digeris nodded slightly, then rose and walked toward the Sanctum of Purification.

Zhou Yun and Sylandrie the Veilwalker, hidden by the Blindspot Star, exchanged a glance.

This made things much easier—they could simply follow Digeris instead of searching each location one by one.

The two hurried after Digeris as he walked alone toward the Sanctum of Purification.

Digeris exited the Ptolemaic Library; the cold night wind from the high mountains swept across his face, easing his weary mind.

Fleeting, barely perceptible images flickered before his eyes, causing faint glimmers to dance in his eyes, glowing with psychic light.

Digeris's steps slowed, imperceptibly, for an instant.

But he quickly regained his composure and strode forward toward the Sanctum of Purification.

(End of Chapter)