Warhammer: Don't Call Me the God of All Machines

Chapter 663 The Emperor's Will (Three in One)

"Father!"

"My lord!"

With the death of Horus, the ritual altar also ended its purpose of existence.

The huge Eye of Horus was disintegrating and collapsing, and the scarlet light of the Warp had its power source cut off and gradually disappeared.

The body of Horus in the Emperor's arms was turning into countless dust and quietly dissipating in the breeze.

He had already reached the limit of his body, and now that the power of the subspace had dissipated, he naturally could not maintain his existence.

Ryan, Waldo and others, who had long been unable to contain themselves, immediately pounced on the Emperor. They looked at him in horror as he stood in a pool of blood, still maintaining the posture of lifting and hugging the Emperor.

The pool of blood at the feet of the Lord of Mankind, some of it belonged to the Emperor, but most of it belonged to Horus, the chief of the rebellion.

The blood of the father and son dissolved together, giving off a strange and ominous feeling.

Although victory has been achieved, one still cannot feel any intense joy.

It was as if something was waking up in this pool of blood.

Upon seeing their father and monarch become the final winners, unrestrained primarchs such as Chagatai Khan and Leman Russ immediately burst into tears of excitement and could not suppress the smiles on their faces.

Victory, victory!

it's all over!
"Horus is dead!"

However, the more calm and introverted Primarchs such as Dorn and Lion were still shaking uncontrollably. Roxi saw that the Lion King had quietly put his intact hand behind his back to hide his gaffe and ecstasy.

Waldo knelt on one knee devoutly in front of his master, offering the highest respect and worship.

Just after Horus smashed the Emperor's head with his Worldbreaker, he really thought that he had lost the Emperor, so he immediately launched a suicide charge, wanting to die for his master.

The fog on the Vengeful Spirit is dissipating, and many loyalists who are fighting the rebels have received the call of the Primarch and are rushing towards the battlefield.

Astartes, Custodes, Sisters of Silence, Mechanical Priests, Mortal Auxiliaries...

As they ran, they shouted loudly, spreading the news of the Emperor's victory.

After so many years, the mountain that had been weighing on people's hearts suddenly disappeared. After a brief moment of disbelief, all human beings burst into enthusiastic cheers.

At this moment, even the mortal warriors who had been implanted with the ideological stamp were broken free by extreme emotions, holding up their weapons and shouting the name of the Emperor.

In contrast, Abaddon, who was organizing the Sons of Horus and some of the Word Bearers' possessed warriors to fight back against the Empire, suddenly became devastated and lost all his fighting spirit and strength.

He had sent all the elite troops of the Legion to the Saturn Wall; those Gastlin Terminators and the high-ranking officials of the Council of Four Kings had all been reduced to ashes.

But he himself was incredibly unlucky. Not only did he encounter the Knights-Errant led by Loken and Hal, but he was also confronted face to face by Chagatai Khan and other primarchs.

If he hadn't been teleported back to the flagship by Vashtor, he would have died long ago.

And now, Abaddon, who had always held out hope, had died in his heart.

"Failed……"

"it's all over."

"Father, what should I do?"

Abaddon knew that since the Emperor had been victorious, his father Horus must be dead, and their last chance was gone.

They are but a ragtag bunch of defeated soldiers. At the Emperor's command, the loyalists of the Imperium and the reinforcements on their way from Guilliman will crush them to dust.

"Should we run away? Is there any point?"

Just as Abaddon was caught in a fierce self-struggle, the still surviving Dark Apostle Rajak found the only remaining captain of the First Company.

"We still have a chance. The Warp is still on our side. As long as we escape into the Warp, everything can be reversed again."

"You are the eldest son of Horus who is left. You should shoulder the unfinished mission of your father. Who else can take on this responsibility besides you?"

Rajak's persuasion undoubtedly gave Abaddon a push and pulled him out of the vortex of self-consumption.

Abaddon's plait immediately began to shake, and he clenched Rajak's hand tightly as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

"You are right. The most important thing now is to escape. I must reconnect with the machine spirit of the Spirit of Vengeance. Although the Emperor has defeated my father, he must have been seriously injured."

"Everyone's attention is on the Emperor. This is the best and only chance."

Rajak looked at the excited Abaddon with satisfaction, the power of chaos constantly ringing in his mind.

The great beings of the Warp were extremely unhappy with the fall of Horus, but they had not yet lost the war.

The subspace can fail countless times, but if humans fail once, they will be doomed.

This was not a fair confrontation at all, but rather a naked aggression and assimilation.

Now they have two options available to them. One is the Chaos Legion led by Angertai and Kahn that has retreated into the Warp.

The other is Abaddon, the only remaining senior member of the Sons of Horus and the eldest son of Horus.

In fact, the target that the four Chaos Gods wanted more was Angertai, but this perfect blessed son knew the evil nature of the gods very well, and he completely ignored the temptation of the four gods.

In contrast, Abaddon became the choice that was not a choice.

……

"Horus is dead, but I am also seriously injured."

Just when Abaddon was about to make a final struggle, the Emperor, who was face to face with his children, told them a piece of bad news that was like a bolt from the blue.

Everyone felt numbness in their hands and feet, dizziness, and didn't know what to do.

What did the Emperor mean by seriously injured?
The Lord of Mankind took off the heavy True One Armor in front of his sons. This protective artifact of the Emperor had long been completely shattered, but it remained intact due to his psychic power.

After taking off his armor, a shocking scar appeared on the emperor's abdomen and chest, exposed to everyone's sight.

Horus almost tore his entire body apart, even his spine was broken and torn. Only by relying on his strong physical strength and psychic power could the Emperor still stand here and talk to everyone.

"But father, aren't you immortal?" Ryan asked puzzledly.

He knows more secrets about the Emperor than any of his brothers, and this is his duty.

People like Orpersson, John, Roche and others are immortals. Among immortals, some are strong and some are weak. The Emperor is undoubtedly the most powerful immortal.

“It’s true that immortals are immune to most injuries, but there is no such thing as absolute in this world.

Weapons such as ritual daggers, weapons containing my psychic powers, and some special existences that symbolize certain concepts can all completely kill immortals.

The power of Horus contains the powerful corrosive force of the four Chaos Gods. I must spend a lot of time to erase this power. "

As the Emperor spoke, he even needed the support of Valdor to barely stand.

Bright white spots were constantly oozing out of the horrific wound of the Lord of Mankind. These were his fading vitality and soul fragments.

"If my body dies, even if I can go through a long cycle of death and return to the human world, I don't know how long it will take..."

The Emperor covered his wound, though it was of no avail.

His expression was unusually calm, suppressing the will that was awakening and stirring in his body, the terrifying will that contained the end and death.

"It could be a hundred years, a thousand years, or even ten thousand years, or tens of thousands of years."

"I can't choose to be reborn. I can't afford the price."

Ryan and others immediately realized the seriousness of what the Emperor said.

Even if Horus is defeated, can humanity afford to lose the Emperor?

The answer is obvious. No Primarch is capable of taking on the responsibility of being the Lord of Mankind. Once the Emperor is lost, humanity and the Empire that have survived this catastrophe will once again fall into turmoil.

Horus is dead, but his remnants and rebels have not been completely wiped out, and the covetousness of the four Chaos Gods still exists.

Without the Emperor as its guardian, how can humanity face the malice from the Warp?
"All-Father, we have the best pharmacists, the best biological sages, the best mortal physicians, and we also have Roshi. They will definitely be able to cure you!"

Leman Russ roared desperately, and the rugged Fenrisian man wiped his tears and snot on the Emperor, completely ignoring the murderous look in Lion's eyes.

The emperor looked at Rus beside him and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Ruth is a good boy. Although he seems reckless, he is actually very thoughtful.

"Horus has caused damage to my essence, and what is manifested in my body is just a projection of that high-dimensional damage. Don't embarrass those doctors, they have no way to help."

"Send me back to the palace, I need to return to the Golden Throne." The Lord of Humanity ordered.

The next second, all the Primarchs, Custodes and Astartes began to carry out the Emperor's orders, and no one was even willing to waste time clearing out the remnants of the rebels on the Spirit of Vengeance.

Compared to the safety of the Emperor, those damned traitors are nothing.

Horus is dead, what trouble can those remnants cause?

Luo Xi used his psychic powers to teleport everyone back to the surface of Terra, and then headed straight for the palace.

By the time the Emperor entered the throne room, he could no longer even stand on his own.

"My lord!"

The Sigillite who stayed behind on Terra came to the Emperor in grief. He had never seen the savior of mankind, whom he served, look so weak.

In all these long years, he had never seen the Emperor bleed, and he even thought that the Emperor would not bleed.

"My friend, thank you for your hard work."

The Emperor barely propped himself up and gave Malcador a smile that was uglier than crying.

"I don't have much time."

"I activated the backup plan and let me ascend the Golden Throne. Although Horus did not kill me, the damage he caused me made it impossible for me to perfectly suppress the will of the Dark Lord."

"He is awakening in my body. Even if it's not now, once the process begins, He will awaken in a thousand years or ten thousand years."

"I can't let humanity become extinct in my own hands. I won't allow it! No matter what the cost, I will stop it!"

Malcador immediately looked as if he was facing a formidable enemy, and he couldn't even hold the double-headed eagle scepter given to him by the Emperor.

"I need to use the Golden Throne's ability to absorb spiritual energy to extract the power from my body. The Dark Lord and I are two sides of the same coin. If my power weakens, His power will also weaken accordingly."

"I must seize this time difference and suppress Him before He wakes up completely. I will fall into a deep sleep of unknown duration and will no longer be able to take care of this empire or humanity."

Malcador looked extremely grim, even though the current situation was certainly not the worst they had expected: Horus would win, defeat the Emperor and make humans slaves of Chaos.

But the current situation is not much better. Horus is dead, but the Dark Lord is beginning to rise.

Even compared to Horus, the threat posed by the Dark Lord is no less.

You have to know that the reason why the Emperor had such a hard time fighting Horus was because he stopped absorbing the power of the Warp under the persuasion of Roche, Orperson and others, in order to prevent the Warp energy from getting out of control and completely stimulating the awakening of the sleeping god.

The Emperor used his limited power to forcibly fight against Horus, who had the support of the Four Chaos Gods and the entire Warp.

He would rather die proudly as a human being than become that damn god and let countless humans become the targets of the Dark Lord's devouring.

"I understand," Malcador assured solemnly.

The emperor believed his old friend's assurance, so he turned around and continued to tell his heirs some important matters.

"You've all heard what's going to happen next."

"I will fall into a deep sleep, unable to watch over the empire."

The Primarchs looked grief-stricken. They wanted to say something, but they still waited silently for the Emperor's arrangements.

"In my absence, you must take up your responsibilities. You are my sons, the Primarchs, the rulers of the Empire, and you are the final line of defense against the invasion of the Warp and the corruption of Chaos."

"This is our fundamental mission, and even death cannot end our responsibility."

Ryan Johnson immediately took the lead.

He half-knelt in front of his father, drew his lion sword and swore an oath.

"I will do my best to complete this mission. Even death is not the end of our responsibility. You don't need to worry." The other Primarchs also knelt down one by one and swore their loyalty.

But the worry in the emperor's eyes did not disappear at all. He was not worried about the loyalty of these sons.

After all, these Primarchs survived the Horus Heresy, so they are trustworthy.

They did not betray the temptation of Horus, the unprecedented pressure of Chaos and the despair from the bottom of their hearts. There is no reason for them to rebel against the Empire after defeating the enemy.

What he was worried about was the relationship between the Primarchs and Terra.

During the Great Crusade, almost every Primarch had formed a sphere of influence centered on his home planet, and the most famous of these was Guilliman's Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar.

The reason why the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds has such a bad reputation in the eyes of others is because he is indeed too powerful.

His kingdom within a kingdom truly had the ability to pose a deadly threat to Terra, and even if other primarchs rebelled, it would not be a serious matter.

But if Guilliman rebels, it will be a disaster as terrible as the Horus Heresy.

Having the ability and being willing are two different things.

This is a natural thing. The original body's mother planet is the most appealing and influential existence in a star field. It is reasonable that other human worlds are affected by it and depend on it.

Although the other Primarchs' sphere of influence could not catch up with Guilliman's, they were more or less powerful enough to be independent.

With the Primarch as their mainstay, the Legiones Astartes as their backbone, a huge mortal auxiliary army forming the lower structure, and a mature Mechanicus supply system as their blood vessels, they could have become an independent political entity.

Every Primarch is an uncrowned prince.

The biggest reason why Terra was able to suppress these border princes was that the Emperor still existed.

As long as the Emperor exists, Terra is the undisputed core of humanity and the absolute throne world, and no one can challenge its authority.

As long as the Emperor speaks, even the most unruly Primarch will naturally surrender and give in as long as he is loyal.

But the problem now is that the Emperor is about to fall into a deep sleep, so ten years later, a hundred years later, or even a thousand years later, will the vassal states created by the Primarchs still be able to completely obey Terra's orders?
Everyone remembers the Emperor's orders: protect humanity and fight against Chaos.

However, the same goal does not mean the same method, and the same method does not mean the same path.

And when irreconcilable differences and contradictions arise between the spheres of influence of Terra and the Primarchs, who can suppress these Primarchs?
There is also the possibility of a war between the Primarchs. Even though they are brothers who share life and death at the moment, who can say what will happen in the future?
There were conflicts and positions among the Primarchs, and they were close or distant, but they were united under the pressure of the Great Rebellion.

Once the external threat of Horus is eliminated, those suppressed conflicts may reappear.

Assuming a conflict breaks out between Terra and Chagatai Khan's Chogoris, will Leman Russ and Fenris just sit back and do nothing?
The Wolf King would definitely help his brother unconditionally and chop down the dithering Terra official with an axe.

If Sanguinius had not been on the verge of death, the Emperor would have been a little more relieved.

He naturally knew what Sanguinius, Lion and Guilliman had done on the Far Eastern Frontier, but he just acquiesced and did not pursue the matter.

After all, in his plan, Sanguinius was the second emperor he had chosen and was qualified to ascend the throne.

Sanguinius's abilities and prestige made him a powerful enough mediator, one who could balance the Primarchs.

But there is no if. Sanguinius and Curze are now lying in a stasis position, stuck on the line between life and death. It is obvious that he can no longer be expected to play his role.

The Emperor must eliminate this bomb that may explode in the future before anything happens.

The Primarch is not alone, for around him are the Astartes Legion, those mortal dignitaries who depend on him, and trillions of mortal interest groups.

Even if the Primarch does not want to, they can still make it a fait accompli in the Primarch's name.

Just like when Guilliman established the Second Empire, a large part of the reason was because he was influenced by the mortal interest groups in the five hundred worlds of Ultramar.

They knew only of the Primarchs, and did not even care about the Emperor; they knew only of Macragge; but not of Holy Terra.

All they knew was that the damn Terra had come to collect taxes again, but Terra rarely helped them, and they didn't need Terra's help.

In this case, it is better to go out independently.

If even Guilliman, who is good at politics and diplomacy, is like this, can we still expect Primarchs like Leman Russ and Chagatai who like to be hands-off to resist this subtle public opinion?

Since there is a possibility that the Primarch will form a de facto independent country in the future, and this possibility will become greater and greater as time goes by.

So why not make this possibility a reality now?

At least after it is confirmed, he can formulate rules in a logical way, instead of waiting until the conflicts deepen and everyone falls out and then use fists and swords to force out the rules and tacit understanding.

The Emperor had to lock in this future in advance, thus eliminating the possibility of other more dangerous and chaotic futures.

Compared to the possibility of war breaking out again among humanity and the complete disintegration of the human race, this future of coexistence of kings is still acceptable.

"Lion, Dorn, Jaghatai, Russ, Vulkan."

The Emperor called out the names of these offspring who were so close before his eyes.

The Lord of Mankind thought about it, and asked Valdor to bring Mortarion, who was imprisoned in the Shadow Prison, and Perturabo, who had transformed into a child, to listen in.

Although these two rebellious heirs have no right to obtain the power and status given to the Primarchs by the Emperor, their existence is also a witness that can invisibly restrain other Primarchs.

If Guilliman had not yet arrived, the Emperor would have asked him and Corax to witness it as well.

Mortarion was still tied with magic-suppressing chains, which were enough to suppress her powerful psychic power, but the only female Primarch still had a look of arrogance on her face.

One of the Custodes had brought her here, while another had brought Perturabo.

"Hey, isn't this my steel brother?
Why are you shorter than before? Have you been weaned now? Why did you run away? Didn’t your parents take care of you? "

Mortarion glanced at little Perturabo and said in a sarcastic tone.

"Where did you hide my brother Mortarion? How could this bitch be my brother?
And why are your ears pointed? Are you an Eldar? Or are you a hybrid of a human and an Eldar?"

Little Perturabo asked knowingly, and directly and bluntly refuted, attacking the opponent's weak spot.

These two, Horus's right-hand men and the mainstays of the rebels, almost started fighting as soon as they met, taunting and verbally attacking each other.

It was not until they saw so many brothers gathered together, seemingly listening to the emperor announce something important, that the two of them reluctantly calmed down.

It was obvious that Horus had lost, and the rebellion was eventually quelled.

The loyal Primarchs looked at this sister, this little... brother, with complicated expressions.

Although they have opposing positions, it must be said that Mortarion is much more pleasing to the eye than the original sullen Barbarus. At least he doesn't have the stench of those damn gas cans.

Mortarion now had a light herbal fragrance on her body, like the fresh scent of a forest after the morning dew had fallen.

Aisha's power completely twisted her, turning her into another being.

Little Perturabo is also much cuter than before. Although his brows are never lowered, he still gives people an angry but cute feeling.

Seeing that everyone was gathered, the emperor continued with his unfinished instructions.

The Lord of Mankind looked around at his sons, who were covered in wounds and bleeding for the survival of mankind.

He was touched and decided to temporarily let go of his emotions.

"I'm so proud of you, sons."

"If I don't say it now, I may not have the chance to say it in the future. I know you all resent me to some extent, and this is my problem."

"You have withstood the test and have not wavered, retreated or flinched in this rebellion. You have demonstrated the responsibility that a Primarch should have, which is a noble quality that your betrayed brothers do not have."

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, Mortarion and little Perturabo, who were still struggling on the side, suddenly turned pale. This was clearly a mockery of their disloyalty and betrayal.

"Now I am about to fall asleep. This may be an extremely long process. Considering the uncertainty of the future, I have made the following decision—"

All the Primarchs' heartbeats quickened, even the two traitorous Primarchs present.

Mortarion was in extremely complicated emotions, she was surprised that the Emperor was about to fall asleep, so didn't that mean she also had the possibility of escaping?
But on the other hand, she felt inexplicably sad. Elsa had changed part of her personality, allowing her to empathize with the pain of others on a deeper level.

She could feel the severe damage suffered by the Emperor's body and the infinite exhaustion of his soul. For anyone, this would be a fatal outcome.

The same was true for little Perturabo. He hated why the Emperor always ignored him, and it was the same now.

"I allow you to establish your own kingdom with your home planet as the core and encompass the surrounding star regions, just like the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar."

"Terra is still the core of the human empire, and you are stationed in all directions, responsible for protecting Terra's security and maintaining the survival of the empire."

The Emperor's words immediately caused a stir, and Ryan Johnson knelt on one knee with a clang to show his loyalty.

"Father, the Dark Angels have no ambitions or secrets. The First Legion is absolutely loyal to the Empire and will never, like that ambitious guy Guilliman, intend to establish a country within a country and dismember the Empire you built."

Guilliman also suffered the loss of not being present at the meeting, otherwise he would have been able to defend himself when Lion's Johnson questioned his loyalty.

But the bad thing is, Guilliman is not here.

What was even more embarrassing was that the other primarchs at the scene nodded, indicating that what Ryan said made sense.

"It's incredible that Guilliman didn't betray us." Little Perturabo said with emotion, "If Guilliman had joined us, perhaps the outcome would have been very different."

"It's because Lorgar is too useless. He and Angron attacked five hundred worlds together, but they were still beaten and fled in a panic. They still call it the Shadow Crusade? It might as well change the name to Shadow Rout." Mortarion shrugged and complained.

"I never doubted your loyalty, Lion." The Emperor signaled his lion to stand up.

"And do not doubt Guilliman. I know he is rushing to Terra desperately. Do not let your loyal brothers down."

"But we cannot use our current loyalty to measure loyalty hundreds or even thousands of years from now."

"I understand that there will definitely be friction between you and Terra, whether it's because of taxes, territorial disputes, or trade. Without me personally in charge of Holy Terra, you don't have to obey it."

"You have always obeyed me, not Terra."

"You may not take the initiative to provoke Terra, but Terra may not be able to fully tolerate you."

What the emperor said was very straightforward and explicit, but also very realistic.

He projected the future he had seen, those unbearable struggles, into the present, breaking them down and explaining them clearly to his sons, so that they would not become unspeakable filth in the future.

"I can tell you that after I fall asleep, Terra will still be governed by the High Lords' Council. This is the policy that Malcador and I have decided on, and it will not waver."

“Only when human beings allow themselves to rule can they always have vitality and enterprising spirit.”

"My sons, I am well aware of your attitude towards mortals, and your pride will not allow you to remain silent in the face of Terra's unjust demands."

"I could have had more time to promote changes in this area. In my mind, only humans can decide their own destiny. Astartes and Primarchs can fight for humans, but they cannot rule over them."

"Because sooner or later, if this continues, the Astartes and the Primarchs will become a special class that stands above the vast majority of mortals, and will become completely rigid and ossified."

"You have a lifespan far beyond that of ordinary people, and your thinking and decision-making abilities far exceed those of ordinary people."

"You still think you will fight for humanity now, that's because you just experienced a galactic war.

But thousands of years from now, all this will become unknown. Will those Astartes who have not experienced the Great Rebellion be willing for mortals to command and lead them? "

"I love the human race deeply. I have seen its most glorious appearance and the great achievements it has made. Even though it has become ignorant and closed now, I still love it the same."

"For the survival of mankind, I will never allow a supernatural class to take over, nor will I allow mankind to be divided and rigidified."

The Emperor once again revealed why he believed in humans again and again, and everyone was suddenly silent.

They had a lot of things they wanted to say in their defense, but when the words came to their lips, they couldn't turn them into systematic language.

They had to admit that the Emperor's concerns and worries were correct, and the future he spoke of was indeed the most likely to happen.

The kings were divided and Terra's orders did not extend beyond the Solar Sector. Due to various reasons, the relations between the various Primarchs and Terra were deteriorating.

This is a bad ending for humanity. Only unity and solidarity can allow humanity to survive in this dark and dangerous universe.

A great empire will never perish at the hands of foreign enemies. Only a civil war breaking out from within can most harm the stability of an empire.

The emperor's idea of ​​resuming the feudal system was to form a balance among the entire human race, so that they could check and balance each other. Perhaps the cohesion would be much lower than before, but at least it could still be maintained above the passing line.

In this way, humanity will have the greatest chance of holding on until the Emperor suppresses the Dark Lord, awakens again, and leads humanity.

When faced with two evils, choose the lesser one. The emperor's decision is the safest and most long-term approach.

　To lay the groundwork for the Empire's situation after the Great Rebellion, the first universe to go to is the X-Men universe
　　A Space Marine with complete mutant powers, just thinking about it is waaaaagh!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)