The beginning of the Great Crusade

(MC POV)

Over the past few days, hundreds of thousands of Astartes, along with tens of millions of Imperial troops, have spread across the solar system in vast fleets.

They were followed by 20,000 Custodes and close to 60,000 Sisters of Silence, and their number was increased by including troops from the Imperial Palace, which is in storage.

All Primarchs were given their own fleets and clearly marked targets to conquer. Several Primarchs worked in groups for specific targets.

The Astronomicon itself projected hid a huge fleet from any threats.

I shift my gaze to the battle that was taking place above Ceres. The sky was filled with enemy Q'Hreli flying ships, while our ships responded very quickly.

I thought about all the possibilities and consequences of this action and I decide that everything is ready

"FIRE!!!" I exclaim happily.

Moments later, our spaceships began to launch missiles. I saw a kind of beauty and power as the missiles shot through space, surrounded by beams of energy. Some hit the target, while others missed, but their presence was enough to keep the enemies in awe. The Q'Hreli ships responded, but our new weapons were too heavy for them.

I followed the duration of the bombing on the screen. Minutes seemed like hours. Finally, I saw the effect of our bombardment - enemy ships in Ceres' orbit began to lose altitude, spewing black smoke and distorted bodies.

"Great job! Keep bombing!" I bark the order.

Our ships continued to destroy the Q'Hreli ships while those that survived tried to escape. It was obvious that we took the initiative in this battle.

As I watch the enemy ships fall apart and the remaining enemies retreat, I feel nothing but relief. Ceres is our.

The Q'Hreli were an ancient species, with a history of millions of years, but now it was their time to be turned into the dust from which they were born.

Malg-Dantu Palace proved to be the first target for testing the new cannons. The scans also showed that the vast majority of life forms matching human biological characteristics are found below the surface of the protoplanet.

Spear fire tore through the kilometer-tall structure. Leaving angular cuts that turned the thick layer of frost on it into large clouds of steam. Whole sections of the macrostructure were detached from the main tower and swaying precariously. As the vivisected structure began to settle from the destruction of the energy weapons inflicted, shells from the fleet's macro-cannons slammed into it.

Megatons of explosive force shattered the palace into frozen shards that flew through the void, partially affected by the rapid decay of the palace's artificial gravity. Forming an incredibly beautiful spectacle of crystalline snow floating between the earthquake-inducing blows.

The Q'Hreli would have thought they could strike back, but they were sorely mistaken and their arrogance caused their defeat.

I watch as the remaining twenty strongholds turn to ash and suffer the fate of Malg-Dantu Palace.

The bombardment continued for several more minutes reducing most of the Xenos to a bloody trot. The reanimated slaves were reduced to ashes.

Now it's my time to fly in.

I step out onto the outer edge of the ship, look down and sense the battle that has just begun below. I pull the flaming sword out of its sheath and push hard and a second later I feel myself falling in a storm of gold and white light.

The speed of emotion floods my being as I descend through an atmosphere that would literally make a normal person dizzy and faint. My heart pounds with excitement as I spin and spin, never losing my bearings as I approach the surface of Ceres and my view of the surface becomes clearer.

I found a new extreme sport to do in my spare time.

As I approach the ground, I brace myself for the violent impact that will follow. My armor along with my powers do their thing, reducing the force I will feel from the impact. But I am still aware that the consequences will be huge, which will be reflected in the creation of a large crater below me.

The moment I touch the ground, a tide of adrenaline and euphoria floods my body. I feel the earth shake from the force of the impact, while a cloud of dust rises around me. The crater grows above me, looking like a scene from a science fiction movie.

As I exit the crater, I see all around clearing operations of the remaining Q'Hreli enemies.

My people respond to my presence with shouts of fanaticism "AVE IMPERATOR,GLORIA IN EXCELSIS TERRA!!!"

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(A few hours later)

The tunnels were damp and cold. Ice water seeped through cracks in the foundations. Jagged wet rocks formed walls and would tear human skin like paper. It was a miserable dirty place.

The terrible and disgusting stench created by the mixture of rot, dirt and old machinery was very well felt.

I walk on and see only a pile of remains of the despicable Xenos' miserable attempts to defend this place.

The floating city of Xenos was occupied very quickly. Light towers are quickly hit and destroyed effectively. Hordes of Xeno defenders were mowed down like grass before a scythe.

The true core of Ceres was of human origin, but augmented by the twisted and wondrous architecture of Q'Hrel. The heart was a massive, ten kilometer wide and high super-cave. Their tunnel-way bent due to gravity and became part of the bottom of the cave. Shaped like a kind of titanium cube and riddled with numerous tunnel openings, the chamber defied all human logic and reason. Each side of the chamber had its own gravity.

The city was the size of an Imperial cruiser and was built entirely with organic technology, like all Q'Hrel technology.

In the very center was a huge door that closed with countless mechanisms. Stasis locks, gravity boosts, arcane shielding, molecular bonds insulated by horrific energies, force fields of human and alien manufacture. It was a bizarre hybrid, human, Xeno, natural, supernatural.

I raise my sword slightly above my head and with one full swing of the sword, the door is instantly shattered allowing me to enter.

As soon as my foot steps through the door, I immediately accelerate to inhuman level, crossing most of the room to near Naalrac-Aou.

In the original timeline he would have freed the Shoggoth, but in this one he will only be fodder for my new pet.

My future pet was a mass of ever-changing and hungry flesh and matter that could take any shape and follow any order.

He could not be killed, only sealed, and now I will release him.

Just as the humans had the Iron Rebellion, the Aeldari giving birth to Slaanesh, the Kinebach Nurglite apathy, the Q'hrel had the Shogoth uprising of their slaves as a reminder to be careful what you create and what you wish for.

I hold it in one hand as I break the seals holding the Shoggoth with the other and watch as 100,000 tons of ever-changing mutant flesh pours out with thousands of hungry mouths looking for enemies to kill and matter to feed on.

One light pressure was enough to penetrate, the mind of the captured Q'hrel and extract from it all the information I was interested in.

I throw Naalrac-Aou into the jaws of my pet, on the his usefulness to the ends has expired.

He didn't even have time to scream or react, he was completely devoured. With his mind broken, it's not like he could scream.

[image here]

Before the Shoggoth can aim at me, my hand rests easily on the ever changing flesh and the seal is very quickly placed marking the Shoggoth with [Enslave].

I just smile and take my hand and place it on Shoggoth, my new pet, and stroke him gently.

It's really good to be an emperor, but I realized that I just neglected some things that needed to be done.

I quickly make a mental map of my duties for the next few hours and see that a lot of work has accumulated that requires my presence.

In the next few hours I'll be busy slaughtering the remaining Q'hrel adults and adding their technological and biological secrets to myself and I'll have to put a bunch of their artifacts into my warehouses. Human relics should be handed over to the Mechanicum.

Mass executions of captured Xenos should be organized. With a king, nothing unites people like enjoying the misery of their oppressor.

I almost forgot the fact that I need to add a certain amount of Polyp-Spawn to storage. I want to repopulate the species from scratch and they can be used to eliminate minor threats that don't require the deployment of Astarte.

I put my new pet in the warehouse and leave the room. It's all over here.