The restoration of the Han Dynasty began with the Horus Rebellion.

Chapter 9: Everyone laughed except Horus.

Even though Abaddon's attack was so swift, Horus, as the Primarch, still reacted better than a regular Astartes.

Bang bang!!!

Almost the instant Abaddon pulled the trigger, the Claws of Horus fired simultaneously under the Warmaster's control. Then, in a super short time of less than 0.01 seconds, two—or rather, two pairs of explosive bombs—collided next to Erebas's unsuspecting head.

boom--

"Ugh!!!!"

Although Horus's timely interception saved Irebas from being shot in the head by Abaddon, the impact of the explosion still caused shrapnel to embed in his face, causing him to let out a painful howl.

Horus's face was ashen. After confirming that Eribas's injury was not fatal, he turned to look at his chief platoon leader.

"I need an explanation, Abaddon."

"Tsk, this guy has a really thick skin."

Abaddon clicked his tongue, but he didn't seem discouraged by the failed assassination attempt.

For him, this was just part of the "War Master" plan.

"This guy is not only a servant of Chaos, but he has also concealed important information from us. In my opinion, he is doomed to die."

"Hiss... I've never hidden my beliefs! But Chaos is on your side! Have you lost your mind, Abaddon?!"

Irebas, clutching his blood-stained face, roared hysterically at Abaddon.

Horus frowned. To be honest, he didn't have much affection for this utterly unscrupulous follower of the evil god.

However, what he knew even more clearly was that this guy was the intermediary between him and Chaos, and at least for now, there were still many ways he could be of use.

"Enough, Abaddon. You've overstepped your authority in this matter, regardless of the circumstances, and now is not the time for internal strife."

Horus commanded Abaddon in an unquestionable tone.

"If you have any disagreements, I will give you a chance to debate them after the battle, but for now, I require you to do what I just said—"

"The truth he's hiding is that, War General, you're not the first Primarch to be found by the Emperor!"

Horus's attempt to smooth things over abruptly ended, and a few seconds of silence fell over the reception hall, then...

boom!

Abaddon heard a loud bang, but it wasn't an attack; it was just Horus breaking the sound barrier as he rushed towards him.

He didn't even have a chance to react. When Abaddon came to his senses, Horus had already grabbed his shoulder armor, and he could hear the faint sound of the terracotta steel deforming and cracking.

"Don't talk nonsense, Abaddon. The Empire... no, the entire galaxy knows that the Emperor's firstborn son is clearly only..."

"The first Primarch to be recovered was actually Alpharis. The Emperor, Macardo... and even the Chaos God all deceived you, War Master!"

Horus's sharp eyes were fixed on Abaddon, trying to discern any micro-expressions on his face related to the lie.

But after a few seconds, Horus simply released his grip and turned to look at Erebas.

Is this true?

But Irebus is also completely bewildered.

Alphareth, who was the last to return, was actually the first Primarch to return. Even though he was also interested in the news, the key point was—

He just heard about it too!

And now, is this question even relevant?

Even though Horus was already about to break with the Emperor, at this point, the Primarch's seniority was no longer important...

Look me in the eyes! Answer my question!

Horus was clearly less polite to Eribas; he grabbed the latter by the neck and lifted him up like a chick.

The moment Eribus met Horus's eyes, he realized that the man was now overwhelmed by an inexplicable surge of intense emotion.

He didn't understand why Horus was so concerned about this issue, but Eribus quickly demonstrated his adaptability.

"Wait, wait, General, I really don't know anything about this. But I swear to you, once the war in Istfan is over, I will do everything in my power to investigate the veracity of this intelligence and give you an explanation as soon as possible!"

Horus narrowed his eyes slightly. Clearly, Eribas didn't have a high credit rating in his eyes, but this calmed him down a bit.

Moreover, the intense fighting on the ground is already visible on the monitor screen; indeed, this is the time to—

"If you want to verify this, isn't now the best opportunity?"

Abaddon's voice suddenly rang out just as Irebas's feet were about to touch the ground.

"You used to boast to us that the Chaos God was almost omniscient, didn't you?"

A sense of foreboding washed over Irebas, and he immediately had a bad feeling.

"Having already caused so many deaths... isn't that just enough to fulfill the sacrificial conditions for summoning a demon?"

-

"Abaddon, are you wondering why I—or rather, that imposter—are so concerned about the identity of 'Son of the First'?"

"It's okay if you don't understand, because that's the difference between him and me."

"I raised the banner of rebellion against the tyrant for the sake of the Legion, humanity, and the future of the galaxy; but he was merely a puppet manipulated by Chaos, and once his false memories became distorted, he naturally developed intense self-doubt."

"What's wrong? Are you worried that Irebas will find out our plan?"

"Don't worry, even if he senses something's wrong, he'll have to obey that imposter's orders—or rather, even better if he has some tricks up his sleeve."

"Even if it's a fake, that puppet is still very powerful. A weak demon certainly wouldn't be able to convince him, so Erebas will definitely summon a powerful demon... or even a 'Great Demon'."

"And in this situation, his most likely choice is..."

-

After Irebas spent a few minutes drawing a rudimentary magic circle, the atmosphere around him gradually became eerie.

The blood of those tragically deceased chroniclers began to flow automatically into the magic circle at some unknown time, merging into the crimson runes.

"Because it was a hasty ritual, only a brief phantom was summoned. Of course, if the target were a weaker demon, perhaps it could—"

"I just want the answer. Let the guy who's most likely to know the answer come out."

Eribus sighed, as if expressing helplessness at Horus's unreasonable demands.

However, a cunning glint flashed in his eyes as he began chanting the incantation.

Wow~

The surrounding light suddenly dimmed, the magic circle ignited with eerie blue flames, and countless constantly changing, strange characters began to appear and disappear on the ceiling and walls—from the air itself.

Finally, as Iribus finished his last obscure incantation, accompanied by a tremendous roar like the turning of billions of pages and the echo of billions of whispers, a magnificent and mysterious colossal figure stepped across the curtain and appeared before everyone.

You can see that his huge body is covered with shimmering iridescent feathers, and his huge wings do not flap, yet he still floats easily in mid-air.

What's most disturbing is its neck, where two ugly, horrifying, and aged-looking legs fork out—

Yet it is also so wise, as if it were a bird's head that could see through everything.

"This is the great Tzeentch, the Lord of Shapeshifters, the Weaver of Fate Carlos, who can simultaneously perceive the past and the future and knows everything! He can answer any question anyone may have!"

Erebas skillfully offered praise, while Horus gazed at the powerful and mysterious being before him, seemingly contemplating how to ask his question.

"Then answer our questions, Carlos!"

Abaddon spoke first, looking fearlessly at Tzeentch.

"Was the Primarch of the Twentieth Legion the first son the Emperor found?"

Horus frowned slightly, seemingly displeased with Abaddon's repeated overstepping of boundaries, but he was more concerned with the answer from the demon before him.

Irebas's lips curled up into a smug smile.

Because he concealed one thing: Carlos's two heads, one only tells the truth and the other only tells lies.

Therefore, Horus could not possibly get the answer, and Erebas could easily fool him no matter what the truth was.

However, what he didn't realize was...

Abaddon also raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a smug smile.

Because even the summoned demon was within the expectations of his "father of genes".

Meanwhile, Carlos, the Weaver of Fate and the right-hand man of the Lord of Deception, looked down upon the crowd before him...

Both beaks split open at the same time, revealing two smug smiles.

"Yes."

Carlos's two heads spoke in unison.

That's the truth.