Horus

**Horus**, or **Horus Lupercal**, is the Primarch of the XVI Legion and is currently the leader of the Imperium of Man. 80,000 standard years ago, he slew the corrupted Emperor of Mankind and defeated the Dark Emperor that possessed Malcador's body.

When the Emperor was still alive, Horus was considered to be his greatest son, the first among equals even when the Second Twenty were created or granted the status of Primarch. Following the Triumph of Ullanor in the early 41st Millennium BCE, the Emperor finally broke under the corrupting influence of the Chaos Gods that he absorbed so long ago and was the prime cause that instigated the Emperor's Heresy, a massive galactic civil war that pitted the Original Twenty against the Second Twenty Legions.

Horus ultimately won due to the Emperor's mind barely holding back the Chaos Gods' influence and the betrayal of the Second Twenty, but Malcador's mind was being warped by a one-of-a-kind Daemon known as the "Dark Emperor" which manifested whenever the Emperor of Mankind began to feel any sort of negative emotion or strong positive emotion.

Horus and the rest of the Original Twenty fused their souls together to form the "Delta Primarch", a being composed of all of the Original Twenty Primarchs that finally slew the Dark Emperor and the Chaos Gods. However, this came at a great cost: the Original Twenty would be trapped in a deep slumber that nobody could awaken them from until they came back to their senses. Horus gave the order, and so they slept for the long millennia.

He currently leads the Imperium of Man in its darkest hour, as the Tyranids are slowly beginning to break through the Eternity Gate during the 13th Tyranid Incursion.

## History

### The Final Struggle

Horus is on an altered timeline of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Abaddon the Despoiler broke through the Eternity Gate with the help of a dark and malevolent being called the Ghost of Horus. Abaddon saw the Emperor, but due to his power now swelling almost making him as powerful as any of the Chaos Gods, he resisted the normal influence of being near the Emperor. The Emperor's largest soul fragment rapidly reabsorbed all parts of his soul, including the Star Child, and absorbed the Chaos Gods before returning. As the Ruinous Powers were too focused on their final triumph, the Emperor absorbed first Khorne, then Tzeentch, then Nurgle, and lastly Slaanesh into his collective psyche. The Emperor of Mankind's soul then returned to his body just as Abaddon and the Ghost of Horus tore his body from the Golden Throne. His return almost killed Abaddon and weakened the Ghost of Horus, but most of the daemons present in the room weren't so lucky and were obliterated from existence itself in a blinding golden light.

Alas, it was too late. Roboute Guilliman and Lion El'Jonson had long died along with every Loyalist Astartes Chapter, Custodian, and Sisters of Silence. The Great Rift had completely swallowed the Imperium Nihilus. Recovering his lost wargear and reforming his armor, the Emperor desperately tried to fight off the horde of Daemons that were corrupting the Imperial Palace. However though, the Ghost of Horus impaled the Emperor of Mankind with his *Spectral Talon* and only said one thing, "Do you remember me? Here I am, Horus, the rightful Emperor of Mankind, will kill you!" The Ghost of Horus was about to cut off the Emperor of Mankind's head when the Emperor froze time and turned back time 91,000 Terran years ago.

Unfreezing time, the Emperor of Mankind wept for three days and three nights as he blamed himself for what had happened. After this, the Emperor was filled with resolve to never again let such a mistake happen again, and he began to use his psychic powers to start the Primarch Project. He also resurrected Malcador the Sigillite from the ancient ash and let him be his lead advisor.

### With the Emperor; the Early Years

Horus was the sixteenth Primarch to be released from his pod. Horus as a newborn cried the loudest. The Emperor cried with his sons. Under the Emperor's guidance, Horus and his brothers quickly learned in the rough mountain terrain and became strong themselves. Any psyker nearby came to the Emperor and became his first Perpetual advisors. Horus and his brother Primarchs grew alongside each other at a rapid pace, and here they formed their first friendships. Here the Emperor gave them names, although he was visibly sad. The Emperor personally taught each and every one of his Primarchs, not wanting to make them feel less important.

As for Horus, he developed his skills as a charismatic leader and was a great strategist. He could best any Primarch given enough time, and was given command of a Space Marine Legion first. The other Primarchs, trained to respect each other instead of growing jealous of each other, threw a party in Horus' name. In time the other Primarchs would get their own Legions.

### Great Crusade

#### The Beginning

Horus lead his Legion to get to Luna first, when the Emperor remarked that a long time ago, he would've named it the "Luna Wolves" as he suggested as an alternative to "Sons of Horus." Horus readily accepted the name, believing that it was a special gift from the Emperor that led him to almost explode with joy, but the Emperor went back to the construction of the Imperial Palace and wept.

Horus would go on to fight alongside Sanguinius, his greatest friend among the Primarchs. The two were near inseparable during the early years of the Great Crusade, populating more worlds than any other. There is little to be said of this period, as it was quite well documented as Horus and his Luna Wolves Legion encountered no resistance during the early stages of the Great Crusade.

#### Mid-Crusade

Horus pushed his Legion further outward until they first encountered resistance in the form of Feral Orks. Horus was confused and took a few specimens aboard his flagship, the *Vengeful Spirit*. But this only made Horus all the more eager to discover new species as he loved learning above all else, and had made certain plans with Sanguinius and Fuigrim regarding the end of the Crusade, specifically the Astartes. Horus believed that the Astartes would be used to expand the Imperium's borders past the Milky Way galaxy.

Horus believed that the Astartes could always be used for conquest and peacekeeping, something that would be sorely disproven during the Emperor's Heresy as the Astartes were all too willing to kill each other in the name of their Primarch's chosen allegiance.

In 572.M36 BCE, Horus participated in the Conquest of Xaphas II, a major core world with rich ores that the Imperium needed to continue the Great Crusade. Horus led his Luna Wolves Legion alongside the Blood Angels, Night Lords, and Salamanders Legions. In addition, a highly dangerous xenos race was exterminated. Their name is now locked behind the most secure but were known as "Xaphans," named after their homeward. The Xaphans were insect-like creatures similar to centipedes that hard adamantium armor and replaced their first 8 legs with blasters that fired plasma similar to Necron Gauss Flayers.

#### Late Crusade

During the Late Great Crusade, nearly every world in the Milky Way had been claimed by humanity. All that remained were the outermost Halo Stars and a handful of systems within the galaxy. The most prominent of all would be the Ullanor Crusade, which would exterminate the largest Ork Empire seen until the War of the Beast. Horus personally led the entire Luna Wolves Legion in purging the entire planet of Orks under Urlakk Urruk who was in service to Urlakk Urg.

##### Ullanor Crusade

However, things were not all as they seemed. During the past 9,975 years, the Emperor of Mankind had slowly began to grow increasingly insane due to the Chaos Gods trapped in his soul. The Chaos Gods lured the Dark Emperor, a being formed at the beginning of the Great Crusade that served as a "mirror-Emperor" made of malevolence as a result of the Emperor's worries over his own insanity to the real Emperor.

Horus would first notice this as the Emperor's fighting style was no longer elegant and he would bark out harsh orders left and right. Horus had assumed that it was only the nature of the Great Crusade and that the stress was getting to the Emperor's head.

Regardless, the entire Ullanor Ork Empire was destroyed in a mere two weeks. Horus threw Urlakk Urruk out of a temple and the Emperor would obliterate Urlakk Urg. The Orks would be completely annihilated as they lost heart for battle, and the Triumph of Ullanor was celebrated by having every Primarch attend along with their Honor Guards.

#### Seeds of Dissension

##### After the Triumph of Ullanor

"*The Ork Empire on this planet, Ullanor Prime has been shattered. It is to my great pleasure that ten of my Space Marine Legions were led by my sons. It was a true privilege being able to fight alongside you. Though we have lost many brave and loyal Astartes, let me assure you that they will receive proper burials. In addition, I will promote my son, Horus, who has fought alongside me for the past nine millennia to the rank of Warmaster. I will return to Terra to work on the next stage of the Great Crusade to expand my authority to the wider Imperium. Hail Horus! Hail the Warmaster!*"

- The Emperor's Speech following the end of the Triumph of Ullanor

The Emperor promoted Horus to the rank of Warmaster following the end of the Triumph of Ullanor. However, due to the wording of the speech, especially when the Emperor says that it was *his* authority and not shared between the Emperor and the Primarchs hurt Horus, Rogal Dorn, Fulgrim, Lion El'Jonson, Ferrus Manus, and Mortarion, who believed that the Emperor had changed for the worse due to his arrogance.

However though, this would be nothing compared to what would come later.

##### Berating

Horus, followed by Rogal Dorn, Jaghatai Khan, Roboute Guilliman, and Sigismund, confronted the Emperor as he was overseeing the construction of the Imperial Palace's Webway Gate. Horus asked the Emperor if he was fine, but the Emperor temporarily lost himself and attacked Horus while verbally abusing him. It took the might of four Primarchs to even restrain the Emperor from killing Horus. From this point on, Horus no longer declared himself loyal to the Emperor of Mankind. Rather, Horus decided to become Emperor in his father's place.

#### Conversion

During the last twenty years of the Great Crusade, The Space Marine Legions began to slow their pace down as they reached for the Halo Stars at the outermost edge of the galaxy. Following Horus' berating, Horus converted the four Primarchs that were present during his berating easily to his cause. The following Primarchs were converted by Horus:

##### Mortus the Ill-Handed

The Emperor visited Mortus on his homeward of Badax III, but slapped his own son in the face instead. At a loss of words, Mortus believed his II Legion, the Gravediggers to be put to shame and resented the Emperor. Horus had no problem trying to convert Mortus to his cause.

##### Fulgrim

The Emperor berated Fulgrim and broke his left arm for trying to make his Emperor's Children Astartes practice art, music, and painting. Horus had no problem trying to convert Fulgrim to his cause

##### Perturabo

Perturabo was never visited by the Emperor. In fact, Perturabo believed that the Emperor hated him in the later years of the Great Crusade. When approached by Horus and Rogal Dorn and asking them for the reason for their arrival, Perturabo converted immediately.

##### Leman Russ

Leman Russ saw Fenris being engulfed in flames as he saw the Emperor's fleet preparing to leave. Upon demanding the reason for this apparent betrayal, the Emperor only said that Leman Russ was an ineffective Primarch who was no more than a mere tool. Leman Russ was able to put out the fires raging on Fenris, and Horus appeared to help Russ rebuild. Leman Russ vented his hatred for the Emperor and the remaining Space Wolves wholeheartedly agreed with Russ. Horus explained his plan to kill the Emperor or at least imprison him and Russ agreed, swearing loyalty by making a cut on his hand to seal the oath with blood.

##### Konrad Curze

Konrad Curze was harassed by the Emperor for his visions and constant use of terror tactics rather than actually fighting an enemy at full strength. This left Curze feeling that he wasn't good enough in the eyes of his own father. Horus appeared and gave Curze some encouragement, which led to Curze declaring his allegiance to Horus, not the Emperor.

##### Sanguinius

Sanguinius saw his most beloved temple on Baal destroyed by the Emperor of Mankind. The Emperor left without a word. Sanguinius swore his allegiance to Horus after talking to Russ.

##### Ferrus Manus

Ferrus Manus was berated by the Emperor for not forcing his Astartes to fight each other if Ferrus truly believed in his survival of the fittest mentality. Ferrus resented the Emperor, but because that word had spread among the Original Twenty that Horus was plotting to betray the Emperor, Ferrus swore loyalty to Horus in person.

##### Eskrador Leviathan

Eskrador Leviathan was beaten by the Emperor for specializing in ship-to-ship combat and orbital bombardment. Despite the XI Legion, the Iron Leviathans' bitter protests against the Emperor for beating their Primarch, the Emperor ordered his Custodes to mercilessly butcher 100 Legionaries every day from the XI Legion, which caused Leviathan to swear loyalty to Horus.

##### Angron

Angron was never visited by the Emperor. He observed that the Emperor's negative emotions were beyond saving and joined Horus.

##### Mortarion

Mortarion was never visited by the Emperor. This led Mortarion to believe that he wasn't good enough despite everything that he had done in the Emperor's eyes and joined Horus.

##### Magnus the Red

Magnus joined Horus willingly after peering into the future through the use of the Warp. He too, was never visited by the Emperor. Magnus decided that it would be better to not share the eventual fate of the XXXVII Legion, the Emperor's Fists.

##### Lorgar

Lorgar almost had his chosen home planet completely destroyed. Despite being raised on Terra, each Legion set out to find their own home worlds to set as bases independent of Terra. Lorgar was horribly beaten for continuing to spread the Imperial Truth instead of worshipping the Emperor as a god. Lorgar chose to save himself and told Magnus about his plans. Magnus told Lorgar about the fate of the Imperium and that it would be better to save themselves and turn against the Emperor, as Horus was destined to become greater than the Emperor. After 7 days of being deep in thought, Lorgar swore loyalty to Horus.

##### Vulkan

Vulkan had the hardest time converting to Horus' cause. It took for the Emperor to murder 5000 Legionaries of the Salamanders to get Vulkan to turn. True to his nature, Vulkan still believes to this day that the Emperor could be saved, but swore loyalty to Horus anyway.

##### Corvus Corax

Corvus Corax faced a full invasion by the Emperor for using stealth and ambush tactics instead of engaging the enemy in direct combat. Corax was at a loss of words and hid himself from the Emperor. He swore loyalty to Horus, along with his entire Legion, the Raven Guard.

##### Alpharius Omegon

Alpharius Omegon was the only Primarch known to have actively avoided the Emperor. Due to a psychic vision sent by Magnus, Alpharius and his twin Omegon both chose to side with Horus.

### Emperor's Heresy

#### Istvaan III Atrocity

Horus planned to lure the XXI Legion, the Hunters of the Emperor, all loyalist Black Templars, and all loyalist Word Bearers to the world of Istvaan III. Horus believed that he could try to convert the Second Twenty Primarchs to his cause if he showed them that if they lost even a single battle in the Emperor's name, then they would either face Horus to turn against the Emperor or perish by the Emperor's own hands.

After 5 years of planning, Horus would finally unleash his Legions.

Horus brought the World Eaters under Angron, the Death Guard under Mortarion, and the Emperor's Children under Fulgrim to Istvaan III under the guise as orbital support for the Hunters of the Emperor, loyalist Black Templars, and loyalist Word Bearers to bring the Planetary Governor to submit to the authority of the Emperor of Mankind.

##### Initial Assault

The Hunters of the Emperor combined their ruthless form of stealth warfare with the zeal and fury of the Black Templars which was combined with the numbers of the Word Bearers. Together, in a mere 30 Terran days the force lost only around 2500 Astartes and subjugated the planet. A celebration rang out among the Astartes who survived, but the worst for them was yet to come.

##### The Atrocity Begins

"*We have been mistreated by our own father, the one that you call Emperor. We know the truth, the truth that you refuse to admit. The Emperor is no longer the same as he was earlier. Join me, and we will break free of his tyranny. Join me, and I will not mistreat you. Join me, and together we can forge an alliance more powerful than any under the Emperor. Do not refuse this offer, as you will pay a terrible price otherwise.*"

- Horus' vox message to the victims of the Istvaan III Atrocity

Horus sent out a vox message offering the Astartes on Istvaan III a peaceful surrender or face certain doom. The triumphant survivors of the Istvaan III Compliance action shouted and stood defiantly against Horus.

Horus felt that he had no choice but to force their surrender. Sending down wave after wave of World Eaters, Death Guard, Emperor's Children, and Luna Wolves Astartes, the defenders stood valiantly against the vast horde composed of a total of over 200,000 Astartes compared to their 150,000 combined Astartes. Intense city warfare began for the opening stages of the Istvaan III Atrocity as the defenders desperately sent vox messages to the Black Templars, Space Sharks, Emperor's Fists, and Black Dragons Legions.

But the defenders fought on. They resisted each new wave, fighting with renewed zeal. They truly believed (save for the Primarch of the Hunters of the Emperor Legion) that dying for the Emperor of Mankind was to achieve the ultimate honor. To fall in battle in the name of the Emperor first spread from the Luna Wolves Legion but had spread over to other Legions as well.

Despite the apparent cruelty, Horus had no intention of butchering an entire Legion. He only wanted to save his doomed brother from the wrath of the Emperor of Mankind. Horus' goal was to destroy the Black Templar and Word Bearers force as well as any loyalist members of the Hunters of the Emperor.

##### The Tide Turns

The wounded and badly mauled defenders were beginning to realize that they couldn't be saved without a surrender. Erebus tried desperately to break through the tide but was wounded badly across the chest by Rylanor the Ancient of Rites of the Emperor's Children. Rylanor had forged a massive chainsword by himself for his Contemptor Dreadnought. Kor Phaeron led the defenders inside of a chapel and begged for the Emperor's Blessing.

As the days went on, the defenders were losing ground. The Death Guard with their reinforced adamantium modified Power Armor made their Mark III Power Armor all the more harder to break through. Worse, the Emperor's Children fought with almost equally matched zeal to the Black Templars. Worse yet, the World Eaters were able to finally master the production of the true *Butcher's Nails*, rendering them able to fight with the brutal combat efficiency like their Primarch Angron, but these were different: they didn't degrade the brain and only released adrenaline every time the bearer was hurt. Each new Legionary of the World Eaters had been in special training to resist falling completely to the *Butcher's Nails*. Those that fell were placed in stasis and used as cannon fodder and rapid assault forces.

##### Surrender

"*See? It didn't have to be hard to surrender, I would have done the same thing if I were in your place.*"

- Horus to his brother Primarch of the Hunters of the Emperor after the Istvaan III Atrocity

Seeing that the battle could not be won, the Primarch of the Hunters of the Emperor, known as Salrect, ordered his Legion to surrender. After 15 total days of fighting, Salrecht agreed to surrender.

His surrender was met with resistance from the surviving Black Templars and Word Bearers. However, Salrect said that enough lives have been lost, and that they will have to serve the Emperor another way.

Horus came to greet his brother in person. Horus remarked that it never had to be difficult to surrender, and was glad that his brother made the right choice. Horus reassured the surviving Astartes that if they submitted, then they would be spared too. No Word Bearer surrendered, and Horus executed Erebus and Kor Phaeron himself. The Black Templars too, were wiped out. All fallen Astartes were buried with full honors.

#### Istvaan V Drop Site Massacre

##### Prelude

Word had spread that Horus had betrayed the Emperor along with 3 other Legions and their Primarchs. The Emperor was enraged and sent the Crimson Fists, Fists Exemplar, Brazen Claws, Imperial Fists, Iron Warriors, Night Lords, Space Wolves, and Black Templars to destroy Horus' Legions. However, not all of them set out in time, with the Night Lords leaving two weeks later than the Iron Warriors, which took the IV Legion three months to receive the order. This was deliberate on their part, as they needed to give Horus as much time as possible to set up defenses for the horror that was to come.

Horus made for Istvaan V with all haste, leaving no Astartes behind to rebuild Istvaan III. Knowing that Curze and Perturabo would intentionally be delayed, Horus began to set up his defenses. He occupied every major chokepoint and made sure to leave only one real landing zone at the Urgall Depression, the same place where 70,000 years in the future, Ferrus Manus, Corvus Corax, and Vulkan led their Legions to decimation.

That same place would be the place where Primarchs Alexis Polux, Maximus Thane, and Caul Engentre would lead their Legions to doom.

##### Opening Stages

Alexis Polux, Maximus Thane, and Caul Engentre led their respective Legions in the first wave: the Crimson Fists would land first and secure the drop zone while the Fists Exemplar would come to support them while the Brazen Claws would push back the "Traitor Legions." The plan was to secure and hold the drop zone until reinforcements from five other Legions would arrive and decimate Horus', Angron's, Fulgrim's, and Mortarion's Legions.

The three Primarchs opened fire on large bunkers with many complexes and destroyed trenches from orbit to begin, but in reality those structures were actually empty. Horus was the one that conquered the Istvaan System alongside Perturabo and Rogal Dorn, so they had the best idea of the terrain. Even then, the Urgall Depression is a deep valley, difficult to defend when assaulted from above. Maximus Thane gave the order and thousands of Drop Pods and landed in the Urgall Depression, though an estimated 25 Drop Pods never made it to the surface. The three doomed Legions fought upwards, managing to take the strong points and held chokepoints with ease as they were Successor Legions of the Imperial Fists and the Iron Hands and as a result, made conquering the planet easier.

Horus intentionally ordered his forces when to retreat and abandon certain fortifications and trenches, always using hit-and-run when he could. This made the original 250,000 attacking forces bleed their forces much more than the combined 300,000 defending forces. As this was still a Legion War, the only combatants were Astartes.

##### Drop Site Massacre

The attacking forces retreated back to the Urgall Depression when they heard that the five other Legions had arrived. The battered survivors left the blood-drenched fields and trenches and went on to cheer as they desperately needed medical supplies and ammunition.

The Iron Warriors and Imperial Fists constructed bunkers and trenches in deathly silence. The Night Lords and Black Templars watched in silence. The Space Wolves sharpened their melee weapons, knowing that this could be their final battle.

Once the last bunker was built and the last trench was dug, Horus shot a flare into the sky. The battered defenders rushed out and retook their lost fortifications. The three doomed Legions rushed forth, with the five reinforcement Legions following them. When Horus fired a second flare, the trap was sprung. The "Loyal to the Emperor" Legions that were "reinforcements" opened unrelenting fire Primarch Maximus Thane fought his own primogenitor Primarch, Rogal Dorn, and Dorn impaled him on his sword, *Storm's Teeth* after a brief duel. Polux had no time to react as he found himself dueling both Fulgrim and Perturabo. Caul found himself trapped into a corner fighting off three Primarchs: Leman Russ, Horus, and Konrad Curze.

The once 250,000 Astartes composing the three attacking Legions now only stood at a 10,000 in only a matter of hours.

Maximus Thane was the first to surrender. Caul was the second to surrender. Polux, seeing that he would die if he continued fighting, threw down his weapons and surrendered.

The Fists Exemplar once numbered 150,000 Astartes. Now they numbered a mere 900. The Brazen Claws once numbered 30,000 Astartes. Now they numbered a mere 100 Astartes. The Crimson Fists once numbered 70,000 Astartes. Now they numbered 9,000 Astartes.

How the Crimson Fists managed to still number a significant fighting force was due to their rapid assaults. The Brazen Claws were devastated by their low numbers as out of all the Loyalists they fought with more vigor than even the Luna Wolves. The Fists Exemplar fought defensively but were broken by the mad rush of the World Eaters and Black Templars.

The ground ran with blood. But Horus had shown that he was more than willing to put any Legion that didn't bow down to his authority to extinction.

##### Sigismund

Perhaps the most shocking revelation was that Sigismund, once thought to be loyal to the Emperor to the end was not so loyal after all. The truth was, that Sigismund was the only one of the Second Twenty to see Horus' Berating, which warped what he thought was a just Emperor. Sigismund made a deal with Horus: in exchange for Horus not destroying his Legion, Sigismund would send all of his Astartes loyal to the Emperor to their ends at Istvaan III.

This would be the same reasoning that would turn the menace of the dark void Tyberos the Red Wake to Horus' cause.

##### Aftermath

"*You see, if you had surrendered, you would have never brought this upon yourself and your brothers. The Emperor had deceived us all.*"

- Horus to Polux, Thane, and Caul after the Drop Site Massacre

Following the end of the Drop Site Massacre, Horus began to make plans to subjugate Xaphas II which was a major Mining World and a strategically important world in the galactic core.

However, Magnus sent message after message saying that Tyberos the Red Wake was sent by the Emperor to completely annihilate the Thousand Sons Legion.

Horus knew that he couldn't let Magnus and his Legion destroyed, so he sent Sigismund and his Legion, the Black Templars numbering at 450,000 Astartes even after purging approximately 50,000 Astartes in the Istvaan III Atrocity for having no set homeward and recruiting from over a thousand worlds.

#### Desolation of the Emperor's Fists

Eventually, everything came to a head at Xaphor IX a strategically important Fortress World that protected the Southern Segmentum Solar, a world that the 39 other Primarchs knew would decide the fate of the Imperium. However, the constant fighting had worn down the fighters: they only had approximately 1,100,000 Astartes, but the Emperor's Fists Legion, led by their Primarch Belzarim numbered 1,000,000.

Belzarim had always been the one Primarch that would never betray the Emperor, as he had a special device built into his armor that would kill him if he thought of betraying the Emperor.

Belzarim believed that he would be able to face off against a combined force of 1,100,000 Astartes. Did he have a chance? Maybe he did. But it only took 500,000 Astartes from fifteen Legions to undo him.

##### End in Sight

Horus had took a more strategic role alongside Roboute Guilliman. He largely kept his Legion out of the war as he only wanted to prove his point and try to get the Emperor to change. However, as the war proved, the Emperor would never surrender to Horus, his own son. So Horus instead chose to make a drive for Terra itself and confront the Emperor there. With nearly the entire galaxy under his control, the Segmentum Solar was the only remaining obstacle in Horus' drive for Terra.

##### Decimation

Horus brought his forces composing of twenty-two Legions to Xaphor IX, and immediately ordered Leviathan to destroy as many trenches and bunkers as possible, real or not. Horus ordered the World Eaters Legion to drop first, followed by the Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors. Once deployed, the Black Templars were ordered to follow and inflict as many casualties as possible against the Emperor's Fists Legion.

Heavy fighting ensued. Thousands of Astartes fell in the deadly battles. Worse, they were losing more than the Emperor's Fists. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Horus himself teleported down to the surface and spearheaded the assault. Within a matter of days, the Emperor's Fists Astartes had been pushed back to their main base, named Base Xaphor IX.

Horus knew that he had to entice Belzarim to combat somehow, so he brought Rogal Dorn, Angron, and 2500 Astartes of each of their respective Legions to rush forward into the main bunker. Contact was lost five minutes after entering the bunker.

##### Final Encounter

Horus recognized the risk that he was taking and realized that his calculated risk was incorrect. Despite slaughtering an estimated 100 Emperor's Fists Astartes, he was never able to save the lives of his Astartes, and all 2500 of them died within the first minute. Horus was the only Primarch to break through and dragged Belzarim outside of the bunker. Heavily wounded but still able to fight, Horus went back into the bunker to save Rogal Dorn and Angron. The three were able to fight their way out of the bunker but only with Horus' help. In the end, no Astartes survived.

Belzarim, unaware that his Legion now only numbered 160,000 Legionaries as a result of attrition warfare and defections, proceeded to battle five of his brothers, namely Lion El'Jonson, Leman Russ, Sanguinius, Angron, and Horus simultaneously. The only reason why Belzarim was able to fight them all was due to a unique psychic ability that allowed Belzarim to predict their movements, though at the time Belzarim was unaware of such a trait.

After approximately 10 minutes into the duel, Belzarim saw that the situation was hopeless and surrendered with his Legion. With that, Horus began his drive on Terra.

#### Siege of Terra

##### Prelude

Horus sent Alpharius Omegon and Rogal Dorn to assault the Hydra Fortress on Pluto ahead of the main fleet as Horus pushed towards the Sol System. With the only defenders being a small Custodes force, the Alpha Legion and Imperial Fists captured one of the only remaining bastions standing between Horus' massive war fleet and Terra. Following this, the Alpha Legion and the Raven Guard were ordered to secure the allegiance of Mars, the home world of the Adeptus Mechanicus. With promises of the ability to free themselves from the Emperor's cruelty, Fabricator-General Kelbor-Hal told his closest advisers if this was the right choice. In unison, all of his advisers said that indeed it was a wise choice, and in a matter of days the entire Mechanicus was on the side of Horus, not the Emperor.

With this, the only major threat to Horus was the Emperor of Mankind on Terra, Horus entered right over the skies of Terra.

##### Opening Stages

Horus began by ordering all fleets to fire at the Imperial Palace from their starships. Magnus was able to break through the psychic wards within the Palace and ruin the Emperor's Webway Project, although Horus would repair and expand this project when he triumphed. Horus' goal was to diminish the Custodes' numbers as much as possible and damage the physical defenses of the Imperial Palace and the outposts established throughout the first 250 kilometers meant as an early warning system against invasion far from the Imperial Palace.

Horus ordered the Iron Warriors and Imperial Fists to drop down first to construct bunkers to lure out the Custodes, followed by sabotage operations performed by the Alpha Legion against the Custodes to further weaken them. Next, the World Eaters dropped down and began to assault the outer walls of the Palace. They were followed by the Blood Angels Legion and were able to take out approximately 500 Custodes a mere 50 kilometers from the Palace.

Through brutal fighting, the defenders were pushed back to the bridge to the Imperial Palace and the Lion's Gate. Horus was absent for much of the early fighting as he planned with Roboute Guilliman to finish his war planning and his long-awaited plan of a new government. Earlier during the Heresy, 39 Primarchs all agreed unanimously that Horus should be crowned Emperor.

##### Battle of the Lion's Gate

Horus at last dropped down after about one week of fighting on Terra with almost his entire Legion. Horus ordered rapid fortifications built on the main bridge to the Imperial Palace's Lion's Gate. The hastily made fortifications held up for a mere 10 minutes as the Custodes' long range weapons easily tore holes in the walls and eventually collapsed them.

Brutal fighting ensued. For every centimeter the Astartes advanced, they lost 100 of their number. The Custodes lost very few in return until Horus was desperate enough to call for an orbital bombardment of the Custode's position.

Horus ordered a direct orbital bombardment on the bridge of the Imperial Palace, eventually destroying parts of the bridge but forced the Custodes to retreat. In their haste the Primarchs were able to reach and hold the Lion's Gate open at superhuman speed, allowing the Astartes to break through. Everywhere the Astartes went, they vented their fury on the Custodes and tore them apart with chainsword and bolter. They fought their way to the Eternity Gate, but only through suffering heavy losses as there was almost no cover within the halls of the Palace. Since this is not the same Imperial Palace from the original timeline, the Astartes were able to push the Custodes straight to the Eternity Gate.

##### The True Final Battle

"*You tore down the Palace, the same Palace that I intended to let you live in. You destroyed your own future home, and now you dare face me? I will kill you and all of your brothers, for you are nothing compared to me!*"

- The Emperor to Horus shortly before the Battle of the Hall of Terra

Though the Custodes tried their best to hold the Eternity Gate shut, the might of 40 Primarchs was too much, and the remaining Custodes made a last stand in the *Sanctum Imperialis*. Enraged that his own sons had actually betrayed him, the Emperor destroyed the Human Webway Gate with his psychic powers and stepped off of the Golden Throne and immediately let out a psychic scream that stunned the Primarchs momentarily. The Emperor rallied his remaining Custodians and began to butcher the Astartes. Enraged, Horus swung *Worldbreaker* at the Emperor, but it was blocked by the *Emperor's Sword*. Momentarily Horus was still in awe of the Emperor and was reluctant to kill him.

During the fighting, Horus said that he only wanted to let the Emperor know that he had changed too much. For a mere moment the Emperor temporarily regained his sanity as he saw in horror that he had to let the Chaos Gods leave his soul. He at last recognized that Horus was right. He *was* delusional, He *was* wrong. But the final pieces of the Dark Emperor's plans began to come into place, as the Dark Emperor began to drain the Emperor's soul.

In that one moment of hesitation, Horus reached out his hand. He wanted to give his father a second chance. However, the Dark Emperor took control over the Emperor's soul and began to drain it, prompting the Emperor to attack Horus. Horus was left stunned.

Horus and his brothers were pushed back to the Hall of Terra, a hall filled with large marble pillars, each one master crafted by Perturabo, Rogal Dorn, and Fulgrim. During the fighting, the Second Twenty Primachs were pushed back to the bridge by the renewed vigor of the Custodes, separating the Primarchs from each other.

In the Hall of Terra, the Sun, the Sun, Sol, shone brightly on the armor of Horus. For once Horus felt a calm that he hadn't felt since before the Great Crusade. The Emperor's might and what remained of his grace still had Horus in awe. He did not want to truly harm his father, because Horus believed that he could still be saved. However, during this one moment, the Emperor threw Horus into a pillar, visibly denting it. As Horus struggled up, the Emperor psychically lifted up Perturabo and Rogal Dorn and threw them at Horus. The three were stunned but were able to get back up quickly. Perturabo and Rogal Dorn went back to fighting the Custodes side-by-side. Horus went back to dueling with the Emperor.

Though the duel took hours, the Dark Emperor at last began to absorb the last parts of the Emperor of Mankind's soul. This prompted the Emperor to unleash a psychic blast that sent Horus flying straight into a pillar. Grievously wounded, Horus was left to look at the Emperor of Mankind raising his sword to finish him off. Angron finally broke free of the Custodians blocking him, and lunged at the Emperor. Not anticipating this, the Emperor was struck by Angron and his left cheek bled. Furious, the Emperor of Mankind turned to attack Angron only to be interrupted by Horus blocking his killing blow. As the Emperor's soul was incredibly weak at this point, the Emperor lost his balance and fell down at the pillar opposite of where Horus was moments ago.

Horus asked the Emperor one final time to surrender, but the Emperor, in all of his defiance shouted that he would never surrender. Horus impaled the Emperor on his *Talon of Horus* and looked the Emperor in his eye. After several seconds, Horus dropped the Emperor back onto the pillar, his *Talon* soaked with blood.

Then, Horus only heard the Emperor say his final words, clearly with a raspy voice: "You'll never be me. You'll only be the ruin of the Imperium that I, and I alone built."

Horus said, "No. It was built by you and your sons. We trusted you as our father."

Horus then finished the Emperor off with a deep slash across the chest. The Emperor only looked skyward as he closed his eyes and breathed his last, finally succumbing to his pain and died. He wanted nothing more than to prevent the Horus Heresy from happening, but He died, knowing that He failed.

Constatin Valdor fought defiantly even as he saw the Emperor die. However, he was impaled through the chest by *Storm's Teeth*, Dorn's chainsword. Horus dragged both the Emperor's corpse and a screaming Valdor to the darkest depths of the Imperial Dungeon.

Horus locked the Emperor's broken body into a stasis coffin, a unique stasis field that is vastly stronger and anything contained in one almost doesn't appear to age. Horus looked at Valdor one last time before putting him into a stasis coffin too. In the end, Horus was the only one to have returned to the battlefield, which left all the remaining Custodians demoralized and either lowered or dropped their weapons. However, a lone figure with 20 Custodians left on a small ship, one that would eventually cause yet another war.

Horus went to the end of the Hall of Terra and saw that fighting was still ongoing. Horus shouted that both the Emperor and Valdor were defeated, which caused the shocked Custodians to lose their morale. They surrendered, but this would not be permanent.

#### Peace at Last...?

Horus immediately reformed the government with himself being Emperor. Sanguinius was promoted to Warmaster. Roboute Guilliman was promoted to Lord Commander of the Imperium and Imperial Regent. It seemed that the war that had plagued the galaxy for the past 20 years was over. There is little to be said of this period, much of Horus' work was dedicated to rebuilding the Imperial Palace while Guilliman and Sanguinius would go and promote the rest of the Primarchs.

### Custodian War

#### Prelude

Malcador escaped the Siege of Terra to Cadia in search of a device capable of opening a massive Warp Rift. Believing that strange events had been unfolding there, After several weeks was able to locate a device known as the *Bane*, an arcane device capable of opening Warp Rifts dating back to the age of the Old Ones. It's unknown whether or not this device was created by the Old Ones or not, but it is created with refined Blackstone.

Malcador ordered his 20 Custodians to contact the Custodes on Terra in preparation for a new war, one planned carefully by not Malcador, but the Dark Emperor over the last 10,000 years. Malcador also revealed that he had found the final rune to activate the *Bane*, and activated the device. The resulting effect was that hundreds of worlds were swallowed as the Warp Rift was birthed into existence, letting out a powerful psychic scream so powerful that Primarch Magnus the Red temporarily went insane. Horus immediately saw the Custodes butcher the Astartes like they were nothing and opened fire on Horus.

With that, war had come once again.

#### Defense of Terra

Horus immediately rushed to eliminate the Custodians. They were scattered throughout Terra, but Horus himself mainly handled the technical and logistical parts while calming the populace. Horus was the one who wanted to bring the war to the Custodes scattered throughout the galaxy, but Guilliman told Horus that such a campaign was unlikely to succeed without spending tons of resources. Horus assured his brother that the Custodes were more than likely to lose more of their own than the Astartes, and the Custodes couldn't be replaced due to the death of their Emperor.

However, amidst the chaos, 3 Custodians managed to sneak into the staircase that led down to the Emperor and Valdor's resting place. What Horus saw when coming back was a dark figure: it was his brother Konrad Curze, who beheaded the three and returned their bodies. Their heads served as reminders that the Primarchs were mightier than the Custodes.

Following this, Horus took the war to the Custodes as he intercepted a vox call that traced back to Cadia, a world ignored by humanity.

#### Rush to Cadia

Horus and his Legion did not take a major active part in the campaign known as the Cadian Crusade. While they did fight several battles, the main Legions that took the brunt of the Crusade were the Dark Angels, Emperor's Children, Iron Warriors, White Scars, Space Wolves, Blood Angels, Iron Leviathans, World Eaters, Ultramarines, Death Guard, Thousand Sons, Salamanders, Raven Guard, Alpha Legion, Black Templars, and Scythes of the Emperor Legions. The Luna Wolves were more focused on helping the Imperial Fists Legion to rebuild devastated worlds

work in progress