58 Rangdan Xenocides Pt.6

Ferrus smashed his war hammer down, crushing the skull and body of the Rangda general that mimicked him in a single blow. The inhuman strength of the Primarch not only tore through his enemy, almost as if using a blade, but also destroyed the ground under him and made a crater in the base. 

The Primarch then rushed forward and began to tear apart the various Rangda elites with nothing short of primal fury. By the time that he was done, his gray armor was covered from top to bottom in purple blood.

"Lord Ferrus," Amadeus rushed over to Ferrus who was wiping the sweat from his head. The former Legion Master was breathing heavily from the intense fighting that was finally winding down. "We have the enemy on the run. At this rate, we can reach the planet's capital in a few days."

"Good. Make sure that our artillery vehicles and Titans are well-guarded. We can't afford to have them destroyed before we breach their walls."

"By your command, Lord Ferrus," Amadeus placed a clench fist over his heart with his other hand placed behind his back. This was a salute that they saw the Grey Knights and Knights of Feluc perform and had begun mimicking, though no one knew where it came from. (Name it and you get a bonus chapter tomorrow)

The 3rd Fleet was currently engaged in a planetary battle with the Rangda. After 4 years of war, most of the Rangda fleet's had been destroyed. The remaining ships were guarding the capital of the system, making breaching the planet incredibly difficult. 

Since that was the case, the 6 fleets turned their attention to the other planets and began to launch ground assaults on them. The armies on the planets were pretty much stranded but their powerful shield generators prevented any form of orbital bombardment while their anti-air defenses made bombing runs difficult. With no choice, Baldur had to order for the fleets to launch invasions and wipe out all the Rangda on the ground or disable the shields so they could be destroyed from space. 

"Any news from back home?" Ferrus asked as he boarded his personal Dragon with the members of his honor guard. 

"Not much, Lord Ferrus. The new trainees are handling the training well. Many of them can't wait to meet you and the other commanders of the Iron Hands," Amadeus told his Primarch as he cleaned his weapons of Rangda blood. "Oh. Another Primarch was found. Think it was the 18th."

"The 18th? Guess he must be in a sour mood since he can't join his men," Ferrus mused. The only reason Fulgrim was allowed was because he was with Baldur already and Horus volunteered to watch over him. If not, he would have been sent back home and forced to sit out the battle. The system was no place for amateurs. 

"Most likely. Word has it that Lord Leman just finished his battle and is currently assisting the 5th Fleet with their planet," Torion, a member of the honor guard informed the others. "They will probably be the first to engage with the enemy around Rangda Prime."

"Not if Older Brother has anything to say about it," Ferrus refuted. After fighting side by side with Baldur several times, Ferrus had an immense amount of respect for the 2nd Primarch. "He will want to attack the Rangda home world with our full strength so he won't let Leman do as he pleases."

"Speaking of those two, is their bet still on?" Arthur asked

"Knowing Leman, definitely. He is probably counting the planets he is conquering which is why he is moving around so much."

"Haha. Then that means only another one of your brothers needs to be found before their competition ends," Arthur laughed, wondering who was going to win. Bets had been made across all the Legions guessing which Legion would win the match. 

The Grey Knights had the numbers thanks to the extra Legions that Baldur commanded but Leman had about 10 years more experience conquering planets. The fact that Baldur also had to teach Fulgrim made many assume that he would move slower than the Grey Knights did during their first campaign. 

"It's gonna be Baldur," Ferrus informed his sons. "Leman may have had more experience but Baldur is a monster. Haven't you seen how he organized this entire campaign? He rallied all of us and, even though he had never fought by any of our sides, was able to accurately predict how we would act and where we were best suited.

Baldur may be a powerful Psyker, mighty warrior, and great strategist but none of those are what make him better than Leman. He is the wisest of us all. He uses all of his knowledge effectively and that is his greatest weapon and why he shall triumph over Leman and any of our brothers that want to challenge him."

Ferrus had his pride as a warrior and blacksmith. He knew that if he challenged Baldur to either of those, he would most likely come out on top. But if he had to wage war with his Legion against the Grey Knights, he would yield before him. His 2nd Brother was someone that he would never want to go to war against. 

The men nodded seriously when they heard their Primarch's thoughts. This made them even more curious about Baldur and they wanted to see how their Primarch would fare against him. 

The ship was quiet as these thoughts stirred in the minds of the men while Ferrus thought the same. 

'Once this campaign is over, I must make sure to request a good spar with this brother of mine. At least before the Emperor proclaims him as his heir,' Ferrus was hoping that the Emperor would not directly make Baldur the crown prince once the campaign was successful. 

Unlike many others, he saw Baldur in a similar vein as the Emperor. As a younger version of him. As someone who was destined to lead the Imperium in the future. 

Even if the two did not get along, Ferrus figured that when Baldur saw how much he resembled their father, he would willingly accept his place as the leader of the Imperium and the one who could command all the Primarchs.