The blood-red angel that had just appeared in the sky vanished, replaced by a radiant golden figure, a handsome man with flowing blond hair and enormous golden wings.
"This—this! How is this possible? Sanguinius, you—you've been purified. You've recovered!" Guilliman spoke in disbelief.
Although saving Sanguinius was their ultimate goal this time, achieving it so easily was hard to accept—almost unbelievable!
"It's a wonderful feeling. Just now, I seemed to forget all my pain and remembered every beautiful memory. In that instant, my entire soul was purified, and all the hatred in my heart was completely cleansed," Sanguinius said, flexing his golden wings.
It was an indescribable feeling. When the dark giant Horus evolved into the Giant of Light, the holy aura he exuded directly purified Sanguinius as well!
Standing nearby, Rhodes was also moved. Tartarus's calculations had been perfect as always!
No wonder—he specialized in studying the Land of Light and Ultraman. He knew more about Ultramen, or Giants of Light, than even the Ultramen themselves.
However, Daram's current form was definitely more than just a light form!
Now, Daram's combat power far exceeded Tiga's multi-type, or even his power and sky types.
Daram's form now was one of perfect synergy—human and giant, fully trusting each other without reservation.
In TV series terms, this was like unlocking the ultimate form in the late stages of the storyline!
So, Daram's current power was certainly at a planet-destroying level. He could even go one-on-one with Gatanothor.
But Daram now was definitely in his ultimate transformation, carrying the hope of all mankind in the galaxy. Even though in this dark galaxy, humanity lived in misery and despair, faith was often the only thing supporting mankind through darkness and pain.
Thus, humanity's hope was the one bright thing in the entire Warhammer universe. This light of hope had turned the Emperor from the Dark King into the Emperor!
One can imagine how powerful it was. After causing a miracle with the giant, it would bring even greater blessings.
"Congratulations, Sanguinius! Now, as long as we clone a suitable body for you, you can be resurrected," Rhodes said.
"And not just that. My white wings will become golden," Sanguinius replied, looking at his two enormous golden wings with pride. "To be honest, white wings looked nice, but golden wings are even cooler. They suit me better."
Golden wings were far more convincing than white ones. Gold symbolizes divinity; in the Imperium, gold always represents nobility and the Emperor.
The other Primarchs came forward to offer their heartfelt congratulations.
"Congratulations on your return, brother. Soon, the Imperium will announce the return of another Primarch—the great Archangel Sanguinius has rejoined the Empire," said Lion El'Jonson.
What a beautiful day! Truly worthy of celebration.
"Congratulations, brother!" Vulkan stepped forward to embrace Sanguinius as well.
"Thank you! I can't wait to return—to your side, to Father's side, to my gene-sons, and all the people of the Imperium," Sanguinius said.
"Sanguinius! Although there was a bit of a mishap, things have turned out well after all. Looks like I won't have to part from my partner for now," said Horus, relinquishing his giant form and returning to a human state, stepping forward.
Horus was now about two meters tall. After fusing with Daram and unlocking the ultimate light form, he could fully control his size.
"You saved me, and I will save you. I'll find a way to help the Imperial people accept you again. The Heresy was ten thousand years ago," Sanguinius nodded.
He'd seen it clearly: Horus's transformation into a Giant of Light was extremely difficult—he almost died, his soul nearly shattering.
If Horus died, it would be different from Sanguinius's own death: Sanguinius could be reborn in the Warp, but Horus would be utterly annihilated.
"It was all worth it. I've gained unimaginable power and can better help Father and humanity. And you've found redemption," Horus said.
"Perhaps in the future, you won't be the only Primarch we rescue from Chaos. Other brothers deserve to be saved too," Sanguinius replied.
If Horus could be saved, and Magnus, then why not the others?
"Let's talk about that later," Horus said, looking at Sanguinius's phantom.
Some things aren't that simple, brother. Among the traitor Primarchs now, none can be saved.
Rhodes nodded in agreement with Horus.
"Horus is right. Aside from him and Magnus, the other Primarchs all joined Chaos willingly."
Sanguinius's personality was back to how it was ten thousand years ago. Of all the traitor Primarchs, only Magnus was worth saving. The rest had truly given themselves to Chaos.
Unlike Horus, who was seduced and corrupted by evil powers, the others joined Chaos of their own volition.
Although some of their stories are tragic, they're not the same as being forced or corrupted into rebellion.
"We should at least try. I think everyone deserves a chance at redemption!" Sanguinius said.
That warm light had illuminated his heart, making him even more certain that there was still hope in this cold, dark universe.
At that moment, the dazzling radiance filling the Imperial Palace of Holy Terra faded completely. The Emperor, gaunt and seated upon the Golden Throne, was finally revealed.
"Father! Your body—are you recovered?" Vulkan was the first to notice the Emperor's change.
Then came Guilliman, the Lion, Horus, Sanguinius, Rhodes, and Elena.
"I can barely speak now, thanks to the combined light powers of Horus and Daram, which have permanently healed my body. As long as the Golden Throne doesn't keep torturing my soul, extracting my power and life force, I can stay like this," the Emperor said.
He never imagined he'd recover to this state!
Although his body was still emaciated, he was alive again—a living man, not a corpse.
With Magnus able to take turns on the Golden Throne, the Emperor's condition would keep improving. Even if the Throne tried to torture him, it would likely fail.
With proper rest, perhaps in a few centuries, he could stand again!
The Emperor was now hopeful for the future!
But standing up completely wasn't so simple. The problem of the Dark King had to be solved. If the Emperor left the Throne now, it wasn't just a matter of losing the Astronomican—humanity would face extinction.
Without a way to deal with or seal away the Dark King, he could never leave the Throne!
"It's unimaginable—a Giant of Light possessing such power. Even the Goddess of Life was helpless to heal you, yet the Giant's power restored you," said Guilliman, excited.
It was a perfect day. Not only had their brother been saved, but the barriers between them were gone. Their father, the Emperor, might one day walk among them again—maybe even fight beside his sons!
"Father, if—just if—Daram and I separated temporarily, and you fused with him, could your combined powers of light completely heal you?" Horus asked excitedly.
Others might not know the Dark Giant's special abilities, but he did. After fusing, as long as there's a spark of life, the Giant's power could heal any wound, body or soul—so the Emperor could recover.
Although he'd just evolved with his partner, if it could fully restore the Emperor, he'd ask Daram to separate.
Besides, the Emperor's holy light would be a great boon for Daram as well.
"No. You and Daram should stay fused. My problem isn't something a single Giant of Light can fix," the Emperor shook his head firmly.
If it were that simple, the problem would be solved. The Dark King is the real obstacle—if not for him, the Goddess of Life could heal me, or I could recover naturally once off the Throne.
"If it's just one Giant of Light, it really can't heal the Emperor. But if there are more in the future, it's possible," Rhodes said.
The Dark King was formidable, but if Giants of Light of multiversal scale—like those at the level of the mysterious Ultra Four—appeared, perhaps Ultraman Noa could use his incredible powers to heal the Emperor. Noa's power was peerless even among the Ultra Brothers.
"All right, you don't need to worry about me. This is already a huge improvement.
Now that Sanguinius has evolved, let's clone a body for him and bring him back," the Emperor said.
"Leave it to me!" Rhodes nodded.
Previously, Horus's resurrection required not just a cloned body but also the Dark Giant's power. The Lion, Vulkan, and Guilliman were already in a state where resurrection was possible.
True resurrection still needed the Goddess of Life's power.
This time, the cloned Primarch body would use Rhodes's enhanced super-beast technology—strong enough to carry Sanguinius's soul, and the Goddess of Life's power could revive him fully.
"Once the resurrection is complete, I'll also prepare a cosmic phantom beast for you. With its power, the Imperium will rise again—a new Great Crusade will begin!" the Emperor said.
Sigismund, the Emperor's former champion and the first swordsman beneath the Primarchs, once said: barring accidents, the Great Crusade would never truly end.
Ten thousand years ago, the Crusade was only halfway when the Imperium was built. The new Crusade would conquer the entire galaxy.
"Rhodes, if possible, I'd like the power of a Giant of Light," Sanguinius said, flying to Rhodes.
After feeling that warm light, he couldn't forget it. Compared to a cosmic phantom beast, he wanted the Giant's power more.
"Good taste, Sanguinius. Giants are indeed more advanced lifeforms than cosmic phantom beasts. But unfortunately, I only have one Giant.
You can only choose a cosmic phantom beast. If you don't want its power, and wish to grow in size, you'll have to undergo super-beast modification," Rhodes said.
Whether a second Dark Giant could be turned into a Giant of Light was unknown—not everyone could find a suitable human partner like Daram.
And if personalities weren't compatible, it wouldn't work. Sanguinius's personality was extreme—a bloodthirsty berserker in battle, a saint in peace.
Such contrast made it hard to find a good match, so Giants weren't well-suited for Sanguinius.