Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde

Rhodes was right—at this moment, Titus was already boiling with excitement. This was an epic mission of glory, one that an Astartes, who valued honor above life itself, could never refuse.

"Lord Rhodes, what an honor this is! This is the most glorious moment of my life! Since that is the case, let Deathwatch believe that I, along with my battle brothers, have perished on this planet! Please allow us to follow you, to listen to your teachings, to heed the Emperor's wisdom, and to contribute even the slightest effort to resurrecting my gene-father."

Titus knelt on one knee, tapping his armored chest with determination as he spoke.

This must be the guidance of the great Emperor—leading him toward redemption, granting him the chance to prove his honor once again. He would not let this opportunity slip away.

Following the Emperor's chosen one and saving his gene-father—this achievement would silence all those in the Chapter who had ever doubted him.

As for Deathwatch, it was only a year, after all.

Disappearing for a year with his Deathwatch kill team wouldn't be too big of an issue. Let Deathwatch believe they had fallen in battle for now!

When they returned, they would be hailed as heroes of the Imperium, and every Black Shield among them would cleanse the shame of their past.

This was something they had never dared to dream of—those who had severed all ties with their former Chapters, the so-called sinners.

Yet now, they had been granted another chance by the Emperor's chosen one—by the Emperor himself.

"Have you made your decision, Titus? If you follow me, you will undertake an extremely dangerous mission. For the next year, we won't even be able to appear before the Imperium as we normally would," Rhodes asked.

"Lord Rhodes! When my brothers and I were on the brink of death, it was you who saved us. I am willing to fight for you. I want to witness, with my own eyes, the resurrection of the great Primarch—to save my gene-father. No matter what enemies await us, I will strike them down!"

Titus solemnly struck his chest once more, his gaze unwavering as he looked at Rhodes.

Now, he was resolute. Soon, he would convince all his battle brothers to follow Lord Rhodes.

He had great confidence in this. The recent battle had already established Rhodes as an exemplary figure in the minds of his Deathwatch brethren.

A commander with outstanding strategic skill, formidable combat ability, and, most importantly, the Emperor's chosen—this was what would convince them all.

"Then, Lieutenant Titus, welcome to my squad," Rhodes said with a smile.

Rhodes was very pleased with Titus's decision to join. However, one question still lingered in his mind—how had Titus and some of his Deathwatch comrades survived in the original timeline?

According to history, even if Rhodes hadn't intervened, Titus should have still survived.

In the later Indomitus Crusade, during the events of Space Marine 2, Titus would have left Deathwatch, undergone the Primaris transformation, and continued his glorious path as a Primaris Space Marine.

So, how exactly did Titus survive?

If Rhodes hadn't come, the hundreds of Tyranid hive ships would have utterly destroyed this planet.

Rhodes speculated that the key to their survival might have been the Deathwatch Chaplain named Magro.

Had they evacuated before the Tyranid fleet grew too large?

Was it his response to the Chaplain's psychic distress signal that caused them to stay and fight instead of retreating?

Rhodes couldn't think of any other reason why Titus and the Deathwatch Marines had managed to escape alive.

"Lord Rhodes! Can you tell me how we will resurrect the Primarch? Of course, if this is a secret, I will not ask further," Titus inquired.

Though he knew the question might be inappropriate, he still wished to know the answer.

However, as a disciplined Astartes, if Rhodes chose not to reveal it, Titus would not press the matter.

"You are a loyal Astartes of the Emperor. This secret cannot be shared with just anyone, but I can tell you. You have seen the effects of the medical pods your battle brothers have been using, right?"

Rhodes gestured toward the hundred or so medical pods behind him.

Some Deathwatch Marines who had been in a near-death state had already been revived by these pods. Even those who had been crippled—missing limbs—had regenerated their lost appendages inside the healing chambers.

"Lord Rhodes, are you saying that those medical pods from the Golden Age can bring the Primarch back to life?" Titus asked.

Those medical pods were indeed miraculous.

Battle brothers who had been on the verge of death instantly regained stable vital signs upon entering.

Those who had lost limbs saw their arms regenerate rapidly.

Even the grotesque scars left by Astartes augmentation surgeries were healed.

The pods perfectly maintained the black carapace interface while erasing the horrific scars on their bodies—far surpassing the Imperium's medical capabilities.

With Imperial medicine, the best treatment for lost limbs was simply replacing them with cybernetic prosthetics. A full regeneration like this was unheard of.

"These medical pods can heal Roboute Guilliman's physical wounds," Rhodes explained.

Belisarius Cawl's method of resurrection involved equipping Guilliman with the Armor of Fate to sustain his life.

But that method had a major flaw—the Primarch could never remove the armor.

Rhodes' medical pods, however, were superior.

Healing the physical wounds of a Primarch? That was an easy task.

"Lord Rhodes, are you saying that, aside from physical injuries, we need to heal something else as well?"

Titus had keenly picked up on the implication of Rhodes' words.

"You are correct. The reason the Primarch has remained in stasis for ten thousand years is that he was wounded by the Daemon Primarch Fulgrim, who had surrendered himself to Slaanesh.

The wound on his neck is filled with the corrupting energy of the Warp. We must purge this chaotic Warp energy before Guilliman can truly be revived," Rhodes explained.