I'm in Warhammer, I just want to grow mushrooms

Chapter 307 The Oath of Punishment
The Apostolic Age subverse: Alterama, Makurag, Hera Fortress, Hall of Retribution.

On the marble throne, Li Nuo was temporarily unable to move or shift his consciousness, and could only helplessly listen to Robert Guilliman's ramblings.

"While I was still asleep on this throne, the Lord of Changes, the All-Knowing God, the Eternal Hand of Fate found me. He depicted to me a terrifying and hopeless future."

"The Imperium of Man will be repeatedly ravaged by the Dark Crusade. The Warmaster of the Chaos Expedition, Abaddon, will eventually cleave the Imperium in two with a rift in the warp. Half of the Imperium will be cut off from the Starlight of Terra and forever shrouded in the shadow of Chaos."

Guilliman sat in a high-backed chair woven from psionic energy, blue specks of light flashing rapidly in his eyes, as if he were witnessing a scene where shadows shrouded half the empire:
"I originally thought that those imperial worlds excluded by the Star Torch would vanish in the near future, either slaughtered by Chaos Demons or enslaved by Chaos Space Marines."

"But I was wrong."

The blue light in Guilliman's eyes stopped flashing.

He looked at Li Nuo, who was bound by the static force field, his gaze sharp, and said meaningfully:

"When those Imperial worlds in the shadows of the Empire lost contact with Terra, they no longer had to pay heavy material taxes, make offerings to the state religion, or contribute troops and people to the Imperial Military Department and the Mechanicus."

The heavy taxes imposed upon them were wiped away by the warp rift that spanned the entire empire. What awaited these imperial worlds was not endless plunder and invasion, but the joy of self-sufficiency and abundance.

"They can use the population and resources they produce in their own world without having to bear the exploitation from Terra's Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Military Affairs, State Religion, Senate, and Martian Mechanicus."

"They are living better and happier lives than before, not worse or worse."

"At that moment, I understood. It turned out that what kept the human empire teetering on the brink of collapse was not the demons, chaos space soldiers, and aliens who were claimed to be the empire's enemies, but the high-ranking, incompetent, corrupt, dull, and ignorant mortal bureaucrats and mechanical sages."

"In order to consolidate their position, they endlessly prolong the state of war, thereby obtaining a pretext for long-term taxation."

"When the people of the empire break away from the greedy mortal bureaucrats and mechanical sages, a new nation that is happy, prosperous, and powerful will be born."

"This is Otlama today, a beautiful homeland free from corruption and heavy taxes."

Guilliman said in a deep voice:

"The Omniscient God is the most benevolent of all the warp gods. As long as we offer sufficient faith and act according to the schedule and plan, He will help us resist the invasion of other gods. Now, do you understand, Alphamega? The warp gods are not the enemy; it is the greedy human heart and endless exploitation that are. Join me, and you will become the intelligence chief of Altramar. I have always reserved this position for you."

Guilliman used his telekinetic energy to press the control panel of the Stasis Field, releasing the restraint on Li Nuo's mouth so that the other party could respond to him.

Li Nuo glanced at the countdown on the system interface.

There are about five minutes left before the Waaagh simulation officially ends.

He thought for a moment, then instead of responding to Guilliman's invitation, asked:

"Guilliman, what do you think is the probability that the Church of Omniscience will repel every attack by the Human Empire?"

Guilliman said:

"I can't give you specific numbers because everything is constantly changing. All I can say is that I will do my best until the last man in Ottaramar is left."

Li Nuo then asked:

"What if my troops are involved in the war?"

Guilliman shook his head slightly:
"I am not aware of the strength of your troops. My answer remains the same: I will do everything in my power to withstand your attack and repel you."

Li Nuo asked again:

How do you think I'll attack?

Guilliman raised an eyebrow:

"Are you testing the results of my tactical simulation? Heh, fine, I might as well tell you. Before meeting you, I had various guesses about the size and combat strength of your forces, but I hadn't reached a conclusion yet. But after seeing your orc soldiers, I've come to a preliminary conclusion."

Guilliman clenched his fist with confidence:
"If the soldiers you bring represent the highest fighting strength of your troops, then I can only tell you that you are doomed to defeat."

Li Nuo nodded thoughtfully.
"So, you think I'll conquer Altrama with naval guns and bullets, right?"

“Yes, what else?” A blue light flashed in Guilliman’s eyes. “If you intend to use psionic powers, I will tell you, on behalf of the All-Knowing God, that you know nothing about psionic powers.”

Li Nuo suddenly said:
"I have over 1,300 Cyclone torpedoes. Do you think that's enough?"

“W-what?” Guilliman paused, then his gaze turned icy. “You want to execute a total extermination order against Altramar?”

"Why not?" Li Nuo shrugged indifferently, but failed to succeed due to the constraint of the static force field.

Guilliman was momentarily speechless. His earlier arrogance in proclaiming the omniscient God weakened somewhat, and his expression gradually shifted from feigned grandeur to darkness.
“You’ll regret this, AlphaMega. For every Cyclone torpedo you fire from the cannon, we’ll return it to you tenfold, or even a hundredfold.”

"For me?" Li Nuo raised the corners of his mouth and asked in return:
"Is it for me? Or should it be returned to the Human Empire?"

"Of course, it's the Human Empire. If you dare to use the Whirlwind Torpedo, we will make you pay for your crimes in blood."

Guilliman's facial features were taut, and his serious expression revealed a hint of ruthlessness.

But his threats had no effect on Li Nuo.

"Fine, then return the Cyclone Torpedoes to the Empire of Man. I'll bomb mine, you can return yours, anyway, your Cyclone Torpedoes won't hit me."

Li Nuo chuckled lightly, looking relaxed.

Guilliman frowned, sensing another layer of meaning in the other person's words:
"You're not with the Human Empire?"

"They're in cahoots."

"Then why aren't you worried about the Cyclone torpedo attack?"

"What the human empire does is none of my business." Li Nuo shook his head with a smile. "Remember this, Guilliman. I will destroy every planet and every spatial entity in Alteramar with my Cyclone Torpedoes. If you want revenge against the human empire, then go ahead and do it."

Guilliman was somewhat confused, his eyes flickering slightly:
"I don't understand. You say you're in league with the Human Empire, so why don't you stop me from taking revenge on them?"

The mocking smile on Li Nuo's lips deepened:
"Because we can use Cyclone Torpedoes on Ottarama at will, but you can't, and neither can Loga. No one in the entire Church of Omniscience can use Cyclone Torpedoes. Your Omniscience God will never allow you to do so."

Guilliman was enraged by Linuo's sarcastic remarks, his eyes widening in anger:

"Absurd! Your claim is baseless!"

Li Nuo clicked his tongue:
"Guilliman, recall the siege of Terra. If the Chaos God truly wanted to kill the Emperor and destroy the human Empire, why didn't he simply have Horus launch Cyclone torpedoes? Horus's Expedition 63 alone carried no fewer than twenty Cyclone torpedoes. The rebel forces combined probably had over three hundred. Launching just one-tenth of them would have destroyed Terra. But why didn't the Chaos God you worship do that?"

Guilliman's pupils dilated dramatically, and his hands instinctively dug into the armrests of the high-backed chair.

His mind was filled with jumbled thoughts, the blue light in his eyes flickered, and he heard ethereal birdsong.

He felt as if a veil was blocking his perception.

This veil allowed him to deliberately ignore certain things, while simultaneously distorting his thinking and perception abilities.

Right, why didn't Chaos use the Cyclone Torpedo during the Siege of Terra?
Isn't the goal of the Chaos Demons precisely to destroy the human empire?

Once the Cyclone Torpedoes are launched, the foundation of the Empire will cease to exist.

But why didn't Chaos do that?

"Answer me! Guilliman!" Lino suddenly roared.
"Look into my eyes! Answer me! Why don't the Chaos Gods launch the Cyclone Torpedoes?! Is it because they can't?! Or is it because they never intended to destroy the human empire?!"

"Boom——"

A slight tremor came from above, and sand and gravel slid down violently, forming a sand and gravel waterfall around the two of them.

Li Nuo looked up.

The hole in the ceiling was widening, and Horus's figure was gradually becoming more prominent, while the blue psionic light surrounding him flickered.

The psychic ritual that corrupted Horus appears to have been interfered with to the point that it shows signs of being forcibly terminated.

Could it be that as long as Guilliman's mind is shaken, the psychic ritual can be interrupted?
With a thought, Li Nuo put the Waaagh simulation interface aside and focused on his verbal barrage:

"Guilliman, you cherish Alteramar so much, you certainly don't want to see it devastated. But have you ever thought about why the Word Bearers didn't launch Cyclone Torpedoes when they betrayed you on Kos? They had already gained your trust and had the opportunity to launch Cyclone Torpedoes at the most important world in Alteramar, so why didn't they do it?"

"The Cyclone Torpedo will destroy your five hundred worlds, just as you destroyed the Perfect City with artillery fire. It would be a glorious thing to avenge that defeat, so why doesn't Loka do it?!"

"Why...why...why..." Guilliman covered his head, his eyes tightly closed, veins bulging on his forehead, and wisps of blue light shooting out from his eye slits.

"Because Chaos never intended to destroy humanity from the beginning; all they wanted was submission! They wished to enslave humanity for eternity, extracting the emotional value from generation after generation! Look at your Altramar! It has now completely fallen into Tzeentch's clutches, and you have become its lackey! In time, when Tzeentch needs a large number of souls to perform his evil rituals, he will not hesitate to let the people of Altramar die!"

Li Nuo's voice was deafening.

Guilliman clutched his head, his body trembling violently. The high chair beneath him vanished in an instant, and Guilliman collapsed onto the ground, looking utterly disheveled.

"No! Stop! Your claim is baseless! The All-Knowing God has created Ottara as I wished! This place will remain forever and ever!"

Guilliman clutched his head with one hand and braced himself on the ground with the other, trying to stand up, but the pain in his head made him tremble violently, unable to straighten up. Li Nuo glanced up at him.

The psychic ritual binding Horus was on the verge of collapse; the scrolls and books floating in the air were reduced to a faint blue glow, and more scrolls were constantly weakening as they floated away.

Keep up the good work!

Guilliman and the psionic rituals are about to collapse!

Li Nuo's mind raced, and a new explanation came to her:
"If you really care about Ottaramar, you should bet on both sides instead of putting all your eggs in one basket with Tzeentch!"
"Guilliman, let me take Horus away! I will send him to the Terra Palace! Because you spared Horus, the God-Emperor will surely preserve Alteramar after defeating the Cult of the Omniscient! Your people will not be slaughtered because of a moment of confusion!"

"No! AlphaMega! No!" Guilliman knelt on both knees, supporting himself with one hand on the ground, the veins on his forehead throbbing like a blue centipede:
“You don’t understand Father at all! He is a cold-blooded demon, rational and ruthless! He will never tolerate any form of betrayal, nor will he forgive heresy! I have embarked on a path of no return, Alphamega! If the Church of Omniscience is defeated, only destruction awaits Ottama and me!!”

"bass--"

Blue light prices skyrocket!

Guilliman’s eyes emitted beams of blue light.

The light of the psychic ritual intensified, and the scrolls that had fallen to the ground began to float up, trembling.

Guilliman's benevolence towards his people was limited to the local residents of Otlama.

During the Great Crusade, Guilliman also organized several massacres. As far as Cloud Hammer Xiao Li knows, there were two such massacres, each involving tens of billions of people.

Therefore, Guilliman was well aware of the Empire of Man's attitude toward traitors and heretics.

He's already like this, so what will his father be like?

Li Nuo couldn't help but curse inwardly, "It's all the work of those damn weasels!"
They commit genocide and massacres at the drop of a hat!

If things continue like this, even if the weasel becomes a true god of mankind, it will eventually be betrayed!

Seeing that the effort to break down Guilliman's psychological defenses was about to fail, Li Nuo was extremely anxious and hurriedly shouted:

“Guilliman, I assure you! If you let me take Horus away, I will do everything in my power to prevent the people of Alteramar from being slaughtered!”

“You…you…” Guilliman gasped for breath, his head throbbing. “Your assurances are worthless. You cannot influence Father’s thoughts and decisions.”

"Okay, that's all for now."

Li Nuo's attitude suddenly made a complete 180-degree turn:
"Then you can just wait for Alteramar to be blasted by cyclone torpedoes. Goodbye, Guilliman. Next time I come here, it won't be to chat with you."

This sudden change in attitude caught Guilliman off guard, but it also jolted him awake!

Guilliman was certain that the God-Emperor would severely punish him and carry out a great purge of Alteramar.

Similarly, Guilliman had no doubt that AlphaMega would deliver on its promises.

Regardless, Ottaramar is Guilliman's Achilles' heel.

"No, I promise you! Take Horus with you! I hope you will keep your promise!"

Guilliman roared at the top of his lungs, stretched out his right hand towards the ceiling, clenched it into a fist, and then slammed it down.

Horus was forcibly pulled from the ritual by an invisible hand, the scrolls exploded into pieces with a bang, and snowflakes flew everywhere.

The static force field binding Li Nuo was paralyzed at the same time.

Li Nuo leaped from the throne, using Horus as a springboard in mid-air, and with the yellow weasel's eldest son on his back, he ran off at breakneck speed.

"and many more!"

Guilliman fired a beam of light at Lino's retreating figure.

The psionic light transformed into a wall, blocking Li Nuo's path.

Li Nuo looked back.

Guilliman was pale, his short blond hair soaked with sweat and clinging to his scalp.

His eyes were clear and bright, with an almost invisible blue light lingering in them.

His face showed pain, despair, regret, and a deep sense of hope.

"Promise me that if I am defeated, you will not allow the God-Emperor to slaughter the people of Alteramar."

Guilliman pleaded desperately, adopting a humble posture.

Li Nuo felt a weight on his shoulder and said in a deep voice:
"I will do it, I promise."

Guilliman waved his hand, dispelling the psionic wall, and turned his head to the side.

Li Nuo hoisted Horus onto his back and ran off without looking back, with the Chaos Ultra Warriors making way for him.

...

...

While Lino and Guilliman were mediating.

The Age of Rebellion subverse, Terra Palace, Golden Throne.

Macardo slowly approached the throne, leaning on his staff, the scroll at his waist swaying slightly with his movements.

His footsteps were very light, as if he were afraid of waking the half-asleep figure on the throne.

A few days ago, when the God-Emperor's will descended upon the Emperor of the rebellious era's sub-universe through the Golden Throne, the Emperor's body was full of vitality. But now he is thin and emaciated, like an old man with one foot in the grave.

This is a negative consequence of the God Emperor's will.

The longer the God-Emperor's will occupies this body, the more similar its appearance will become to the God-Emperor of the End Era, until they are completely identical.

However, this process was not without its twists and turns.

The power of the Dark Lord remained like a nail, deeply rooted in the Emperor's body and soul.

It is fighting against the God-Emperor and preventing him from assimilating the Emperor.

As time went on, the Dark Lord's resistance against the God Emperor intensified.

Previously, the God Emperor could still spare some time and energy to talk to outsiders, but now he has become a silent flesh and blood sculpture, with very little reaction to the outside world.

"His Majesty."

Macado took the scroll from his waist, unfurled it, and whispered:

"Li Nuo has conducted an in-depth investigation into the current state of Altramar. As you speculated, the Chaos Enemy, in alliance with Robert Guilliman and Loga Aurelion, has transformed Altramar into a happier and more prosperous world than the human empire during the Apostate era..."

Macardo recounted the intelligence that Lino had gathered, but the gaunt figure on the throne did not react.

"As you instructed, I handed over the plan to rescue Horus and Magnus to Lino. By now, he should have a clear understanding of the situation of these two Primarchs. I believe he can save at least one Primarch, and awakening the Apostate God-Emperor should not be a problem. What I am thinking about now is how the Imperium of Man should deal with the Apostate Era Ultramar after the Apostate Era God-Emperor awakens."

Makado paused, then sighed softly with regret and a touch of sorrow:
"According to Li Nuo's intelligence, Otralama during the Apostate Era has been deeply ravaged by the Great Enemy of Chaos. We are afraid we cannot change their thoughts and beliefs. A complete reform and purge is inevitable..."

“Hiss———Hoo———”

Faint breathing sounds came from the throne.

Makado looked up and saw the Eye of the God-Emperor slightly open.

"His Majesty?"

Makado took a step closer.

The Emperor's chest rose and fell slightly, and his ethereal, distant voice rang in Makado's ears:

"A flawed belief will inevitably lead to flawed results. Makado, for the future of the empire, we must make a difficult decision..."

Macado took a deep breath and bowed slightly.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand what you mean. I will make preparations in advance."

The God Emperor closed his eyes.

Macado stared at the figure on the throne for a few seconds, then turned and left.

(End of this chapter)