Man in Warhammer, starting Primarch

"Your Highness Dukel, what do you require?"

Sister Efilar entered the room and asked.

She had been busy mobilizing the state religion's legions in recent days.

When summoned at this moment, Efilar assumed a new war was imminent, and her determination was evident.

"Go and comfort the injured civilians and soldiers," Dukel commanded.

In his eyes, this elder sister also held a firm belief in humanity, much like Gris. She was just one step away from joining the Heart Network.

Ophelia VII was the home of the Battle Sisters and the second holiest site of the Ecclesiarchy.

Among its tens of billions of permanent residents, there were countless individuals with unshakable faith.

It would take only the right actions from the leaders of the state religion to accelerate the process, rapidly increasing the number of Heart Network members.

"Ah? Me?"

Initially, Efilar thought Dukel wanted her to gather all the injured for some kind of grim sacrifice.

Soon she realized that he genuinely wanted her to comfort the wounded.

But as a combat nun, her daily life consisted of praying and fighting—how could she possibly comfort others?

Killing demons was far easier for her than consoling people.

Dukel, seeing her hesitation, knew what she was thinking.

But there was no one else suitable for the task. After the Dukel War, he had been in seclusion. The other high-ranking officials of the state religion were unfamiliar with him, but Efilar could be relied upon.

"Efilar, this is a crucial matter. If I didn't need to speak with other planetary governors next, I would handle it myself," he said.

"These people have endured immense suffering. They need someone to guide them and strengthen their faith."

The Primarch's tone was gentle, his gaze sincere as he addressed her.

"You'll help me, won't you?"

Efilar looked into Dukel's resolute eyes, and this steadfast warrior unexpectedly lowered her head, feeling uncharacteristically shy.

"Okay, I'll do my best," she replied.

Dukel nodded.

"The Emperor regards all people equally. As his children, we must not lose our compassion for them."

"I understand," Efilar said, leaving the room with a slightly flushed face.

For reasons she couldn't explain, her heart raced when she stood before the Primarch today—a feeling she had never experienced before.

After Efilar departed, Dukel began calculating how much progress was needed before embarking on the true Great Crusade.

New warships were under construction.

His own mind and will had been fortified.

The seeds of the Second Legion—the Heart Network—had been planted.

Launching a Great Crusade in the Warhammer universe was never a simple task.

Even with the enhancements to his legion's strength, a stable base of operations was essential to ensure the expedition's success.

Ophelia VII, located in the remote southern Storm Star Region of the galaxy, was far from Terra.

As the second holiest site, it was second only to Terra in wealth and importance.

However, following the fall of Cartier Fortress, Ophelia VII had become trapped within the newly formed Great Rift, constantly under threat of Chaos incursions.

Defeating one Khorne daemon often led to the arrival of another, such as a Tzeentchian Blue Scribe.

In the original timeline, when the planet was finally saved by the resurrected Guilliman, it was under attack by Tzeentch's Lord of Change, the Blue Flame Tyrant.

The galaxy was in chaos. Humans fought Chaos, aliens clashed with Chaos, and Chaos warred among themselves. A sudden assault from any side was always a possibility.

During this rare period of peace, Dukel aimed to integrate all nearby inhabited planets, including Ophelia VII, to create a stable base capable of supporting his military endeavors.

In response to Dukel's call, more than half of the nearby planetary governors had gathered. Those absent had likely chosen to ignore his summons.

This was no surprise to Dukel.

Ten thousand years had passed since the Emperor and the Primarchs had walked the stars.

Such a long history was enough to bury even the most glorious legacies.

The once-proud Space Marine legions had been reduced to auxiliary forces.

The Empire's former glory now lay buried in the sands of time.

It was natural for these planetary governors to hesitate. After all, no one wished to relinquish power to a figure thought long-dead and mythical.

For now, Dukel decided to focus on maintaining the allegiance of the worlds that still supported him.

To turn the nearby galaxies, with Ophelia VII at their center, into a self-sustaining resource base, Dukel planned to develop the Heart Network initially as an elite force.

He also sought to win over the populace, streamline administrative structures, and efficiently provide military forces and personnel for his upcoming campaign.

All of this required cooperation from the planetary governors.

The Empire's decentralized governance granted each planet significant autonomy.

These governors were effectively kings on their respective worlds.

Integrating such disparate forces into a unified structure was an immense challenge.

Even with the system-built Heart Network and the Primarch's exceptional abilities, total control over every world was impossible in the short term.

Several governors, led by Talan's Oracle Priest, expressed their loyalty to Dukel.

But Dukel regarded them each in turn before saying,

"I need to form an independent parliament to ensure my will can be implemented across the Storm Star Region. Who among you will support me?"

His words left the room in silence.

As the second Primarch previously exiled from the Empire, Dukel lacked the reputation of Guilliman. Support from the High Lords of Terra was out of the question.

Before he could truly rise, he needed an independent body to enact his will and propagate his beliefs.

Unlike Guilliman, Dukel was unwilling to compromise, make concessions, or tolerate rebellion in pursuit of unity.

When Dukel launched his Crusade, every conquered world would be reshaped according to his vision.

He knew this approach would earn him many enemies and provoke widespread resistance.

But it didn't matter. Dukel was confident in his ability to crush opposition and eliminate all who defied him.

Through relentless trials, only those utterly loyal would remain.

In this dark age, as the Four Gods of Chaos expanded their influence and the Emperor remained silent in his slumber, Dukel believed this was the only way to save the crumbling human Empire.

To the oracle priests and others, however, the proposal of an independent parliament seemed audacious, if not outright heretical.

Was this Primarch planning to rebel against the Emperor's rule like his traitorous brothers?

For a moment, they couldn't discern whether Dukel was sincere or merely testing their resolve.