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Chapter 245: The Brothers Meet
🕑 Added 2025-08-25 14:44:52 +0000 UTCChapter 245: The Brothers Meet
Ferrus was now lying on the workbench. He watched as Cawl performed the final work on his new body. A layer of synthetic skin was slowly being applied over his mechanical frame. Even if it was just a disguise, it was still more acceptable to people than a purely mechanical appearance. Lucan could accept a fully mechanical Ferrus, but that didn't mean others in the Imperium could. And this was also Ferrus's request.
"Ferrus, how does this body feel?" Lucan asked from the side.
"This body... I don't feel any fatigue. I can still think... but I have no sense of touch, no taste, no smell, and no hearing. All my senses have been turned into data that directly enters my consciousness. It's very disorienting. I will need more time to adapt to this body of mine."
After his initial suspicion, Ferrus had now completely accepted his new state. As if having experienced death once, his heart had become incredibly firm. Ferrus had always been in self-doubt, wondering if he had some weakness or traitorous trait because Fulgrim had tried to pull him into the rebellion. But now, he no longer had such thoughts. His past self had proven his loyalty to the Imperium and humanity with his life, and the Emperor sending him back to help the Imperium showed that he still had his father's trust.
He looked curiously at Karax, who was standing to the side. He was surprised. Had the Imperium of today already begun to accept xenos? Ferrus had exterminated his fair share of them, but it was true that the Imperium would also incorporate some harmless and valuable xenos into its fold, such as the Jokaero. But the Protoss were clearly not in the "harmless" category. According to Lucan, his own body came from the technology of these xenos. He could feel that this body was stronger than his former one of flesh.
But he also showed a worried expression. From Cawl's mouth, Ferrus had learned that his own sons still existed in the Imperium, and that they were still fighting for it. And after his sons had lost him, their obsession with "the flesh is weak" and "mechanical ascension" had grown greater and greater. His own death had made his sons more paranoid, which made a trace of guilt rise in his heart.
The members of the Iron Hands loved to emulate Ferrus by cutting off their own hands and replacing them with metal prosthetics to pay homage to him. But they did not know that Ferrus had long wanted to put an end to this tradition. It was just that even if he forbade it, people still continued to do it. He was now very worried that if his sons saw him in his current state, they would admire the concept of mechanical ascension even more.
Ferrus's original, iconic hands, which had been covered in living metal, were something he had always wanted to get rid of. This was also an important reason why Ferrus had asked Cawl to help him cover his body with a layer of synthetic skin.
The moment the synthetic skin was completely applied, he quickly got into character and began to carry out the mission the Emperor had given him. Ferrus was also a pragmatist. He had already taken the initiative to ask Cawl to provide him with some weapons and equipment, and had begun to modify them himself.
Ferrus's most powerful fighting style in the past had been the various powerful ranged weapons he carried. It was very similar to Cawl's fighting style. All fear came from a lack of firepower. Under normal circumstances, if you could solve the enemy with ranged weapons before melee, you would absolutely not drag it into close combat. And his favorite way of conquering a world with his Legion was also to completely destroy the opponent with overwhelming firepower.
It was just that in that final battle with Fulgrim, he had been completely blinded by rage and had lost his reason. His mind was filled with only the impulse to kill Fulgrim with his own hands, and he even held a glimmer of a foolish hope that he would turn back. Otherwise, the outcome of the battle was not yet certain.
After Cawl had applied the last piece of synthetic skin, Ferrus looked at his hands, which now seemed to have returned to flesh. But suddenly, two psi-blades appeared from his knuckles.
Karax also explained from the side. "Lord Ferrus, this is the psi-blade of the Protoss. It is powered by your body and the Protoss's psionic matrix. Normally, we create it with the help of a psi-focus. But based on the material properties of your body, perhaps you can use the innate psychic energy within it to condense it into a weapon you are familiar with."
After hearing Karax's words, Ferrus also tried to change the shape of the psi-blades. Soon, under the control of Ferrus's will, a huge, long-handled psionic hammer appeared in his hands. Ferrus tried to swing it a couple of times. A hammer-like weapon was indeed more suitable for a blacksmith like him.
And seeing the appearance of this hammer, Lucan also guessed that what Ferrus had manifested was that artifact, Forgebreaker. It seemed that this thing was now in the treasury of the Blood Ravens. Even the Blood Ravens did not dare to take it out. If others knew, the Iron Hands would definitely do everything they could to get it back.
Lucan also chose to pretend he didn't know... After all, the Blood Ravens were now also his own forces. He didn't want Ferrus to know that the Blood Ravens had secretly hidden his things.
"Uh... Ferrus."
"What's wrong, Lord Lucan? Why are you sweating? Why are you so nervous?"
"Uh, nothing. I just wanted to remind you that in the future, you may have to face Fulgrim again... He has now become a daemon primarch of Slaanesh. I hope you are mentally prepared. You can't be impulsive this time." Lucan quickly changed the subject.
"Rest assured, Lord Lucan. I will not make the same mistakes I made in the past. This time, I will completely defeat him!"
"I hope so!"
At that moment, a blue figure also strode towards them. The person who had come was Guilliman. Lucan had called Guilliman, who was making pre-battle preparations, to the Spear of Adun.
Guilliman had been a little displeased at first, thinking that Lucan should not have disturbed him at this pre-battle juncture. But when he saw the brother who had once died standing before him, he also stood frozen on the spot.
Guilliman and Ferrus had also had an extremely good relationship. He had even called Ferrus the most steadfast ally of Ultramar. He was particularly saddened by his brother's death. He had even felt that if the Ultramarines and the Iron Hands had cooperated, they would have displayed an unparalleled combat effectiveness.
"Ferrus... is it really you?"
"Guilliman, it's me. Father has sent me back to the Imperium. We have a chance to fight side-by-side again."
"That's wonderful!" Guilliman couldn't help but step forward and give Ferrus a big hug.
The long-awaited reunion of the brothers made both of them feel much better. It was just that when Guilliman embraced Ferrus, he also felt the abnormality of his body.
"Is this surprise alright?" Lucan asked, explaining the process to Guilliman.
"Thank you, Lord Lucan. Although he was resurrected in this way, Ferrus has, in the end, returned to our side. I do not care what his body is like, as long as it is Ferrus himself!"
"Yes. He can become our secret weapon and give Chaos a surprise. Guilliman, I hope that for the time being, you will not announce Ferrus's return to the Imperium like you did your own. His body is still not perfect... a primarch who cannot leave the Spear of Adun for a long time will inevitably make people think too much, especially his own sons."
"My thoughts are the same as yours."
And Ferrus did not refuse Lucan and Guilliman's proposal. He also did not know how to face his sons now.
And in half a Terran hour, their fleet would arrive at its destination: Cadia.
