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

Chapter 697: Faith is poisonous, drinking poison to quench thirst (three in one)

"My friend, our plan has failed after all.

The Webway Project has been ruined by Magnus's folly, and we cannot rely on this great wonder of the Old Ones to escape the corruption of the Warp."

“Faith is the trump card I have always been reluctant to use but have always kept.”

"Whether it's the Imperial Truth or the State Religion, they are just a means to an end, to maximize the interests of humanity."

Malcador recalled the instructions given to him by the Emperor before he ascended the Golden Throne. That was a secret between them.

Even the Primarchs were unaware of the Emperor's backup plan.

Because the most suitable person has completely betrayed the empire.

Lorgar Aurelion was originally the Primarch created by the Emperor for the backup plan of "Faith".

"During the Great Crusade, the Emperor led vast legions to bring every human world cursed by war under his wing, satisfying these humans' fundamental need for 'security'."

"Those worlds fell into the dark days following the Age of Strife, harassed by xenos races, human pirates, and creatures of the Warp.

The weak worlds have long since perished, while the remaining worlds are struggling to survive."

"The Emperor's appearance at this time undoubtedly gave them a pillar they could rely on. It was also because of this that humanity became so united."

Malcador couldn't help but sigh. As he said, times have changed.

This does not just mean that the Emperor has ascended the Golden Throne and can no longer provide specific guidance on the future path of humanity.

It also means that the structure of the galaxy has changed and the most fundamental needs of human beings have changed.

Although the Great Crusade has ended, this massive military operation spanning the entire galaxy has an equally huge inertia.

The aliens that harassed humans were all killed, the warp creatures retreated temporarily, and the space pirates hid even more secretly, fearing that they would be caught up and killed by the furious Imperial Navy.

Moreover, humans have re-established communication systems and trading networks. They have their own defense forces and they no longer crave "security" at all costs.

As the saying goes, when people are well fed and well clothed, they will think about sex. Once their need for security is met, they will naturally begin to shift their attention to other aspects.

“They are accustomed to the empire’s protection, but not to the tithes it collects.

Especially those new generations who have grown up, they have no idea who drove away the darkness around them and who gave them the dignity of being human.

They only saw a barbaric, greedy, and brutal empire plundering their wealth, conscripting their loved ones, and waging one meaningless war after another."

"They even saw that the Space Marines, the symbol of Imperial authority, wielded their butcher knives against them for some reason!"

"They were even foolish enough to believe that their fragile defenses allowed them to survive in this extremely dark galaxy.

It's like a short-sighted fool who believes he can live a safe and comfortable life by relying on his own leaky door locks rather than the national defense and security provided by the state.

Malcador lamented that this was human nature.

After the Emperor fell into sleep, the situation became even more serious.

Those ignorant people may even be complacent about this, thinking that the tyrant who enslaved them has finally fallen and they can pursue their own freedom and fairness.

Even if everyone is branded with ideological standards, it is impossible to change human nature.

To once again give all human beings in the galaxy a new anchor, an anchor that can replace the core need of "security".

The choice of the Emperor and Malcador is one of faith.

All Malcador could do was pick up the faith they had discarded, wash it, brush it, and put on a new layer of skin to continue using it.

The imperial truths of the past can indeed reduce the breeding ground for chaotic forces and curb the wanton spread of the warp.

And now the Empire needs a belief in Emperor worship to unite all of humanity.

Faith is a poison that can make those who drink it willingly accept all efforts and sacrifices, and can completely extinguish the wave of separatism.

However, from a personal emotional point of view, the Emperor and Malcador still hope that the former can gain the upper hand.

After all, a race with extremely fanatical beliefs cannot return to the enlightened and enterprising state of its golden age.

"Everyone——"

Malcador struck the ground with his double-headed eagle scepter.

"We have all experienced the Horus Heresy. You and I both understand that the Imperial Truth has collapsed."

"Its original intention was a white lie. The fewer people who knew about the existence of the Warp, the less power those Chaos Daemons could exert."

"The Emperor and I once vigorously promoted the Imperial Truth with the goal of 'starving' the Warp, or at least preventing it from expanding smoothly."

Everyone present was one of humanity's absolute elite. Malcador abandoned the rhetoric he used to deal with ordinary people and simply laid out the truth.

Sage Rand and Cawl nodded repeatedly. They naturally knew the truth and inside story of the Imperial Truth.

To all Mechanicus priests who believe in the Om Messiah, the Imperial Truth is a lie.

Even when the Emperor brought destruction upon the City of Perfection and stressed the importance of the Imperial Truth, they did not abandon their faith.

Qile, who was beside Malcador, could clearly feel the contempt and criticism from others.

In their eyes, she is just a female liar who deceives the world and steals her reputation.

At most, he is a fraud chosen by Malcador.

Her heart was extremely calm, neither happy nor sad, and she tolerated the criticisms with her infinitely broad heart.

She is a believer of the God-Emperor and His messenger, and will surely spread His gospel.

She believed in the Emperor's divinity, and in her heart, she actually preferred to call him the God-Emperor.

Only the power of the God-Emperor can unite humanity and allow it to continue tenaciously in this dark galaxy.

"I have seen the demon of Chaos with my own eyes." Qile suddenly spoke, as if with an echo.

Everyone else looked at this gentle and calm woman and listened to her words involuntarily.

"It was the power of the Divine Emperor that helped us banish the demons and protected our souls."

"It was the Divine Emperor who triumphed over Chaos, preventing the great human species from being destroyed and annihilated in the thirty-first millennium."

“He is extremely loving and treats every human being equally, loving them all alike.”

"As for the savior of mankind, we must naturally worship him as a god!"

“We need to proclaim His will and fulfill His unfinished mission.”

As Qile spoke, her golden hair began to flutter, and a surge of golden energy flashed behind her.

It was as if holy light descended from the sky, illuminating her figure.

Countless holy hymns echoed in the hall, as if countless devout souls were burning themselves to praise the God-Emperor.

Euphrates Qile, her soul is connected with the God-Emperor, and she can even guide a trace of the God-Emperor's power to land on this mortal world.

Seeing this scene, even people like Sage Rand fell silent.

They could feel that it was indeed the power of the Emperor, without a doubt.

If this is really the emperor's intention, then they have to accept it even if they have to hold their noses.

Seeing that everyone's attitude had softened, Makado's heart relaxed a little.

He saw Guilliman's ferocious eyes that seemed to want to eat Qile alive, and he couldn't help but feel tired again.

Guilliman, it's Guilliman again.

Among the many Primarchs, only Guilliman stubbornly believed that his father was definitely not a god.

He even vehemently refuted Lorgar Aurelion's declaration, and it was he who brought down the Emperor's punishment by destroying the Perfect City.

Everything that is happening now is dancing on Guilliman's bottom line.

The fact that he didn't draw his sword and kill Qile on the spot was a result of Ms. Yuton's education.

It was that great lady, and the late King Konor, who shaped Guilliman into what he is today.

Malcador's voice echoed in Guilliman and Dorn's minds.

"Be patient, Guilliman."

"We have other reasons for doing this."

Guilliman, who was furious, suddenly froze, and then his anger was put back into the prison built by reason. He waited for Malcador's reasons to convince him.

He swore by the Emperor that if Malcador could not convince him, he would never accept this so-called state religion.

Guilliman is not alone.

Behind him stood the Primarchs such as Llane, Jaghatai Khan, and Leman Russ.

Although they left Terra, they gave their vote to Guilliman.

Guilliman is the most politically adept among them. If we don't put the blame on him, do we want them to waste their brain cells?
"I only ask you, why did your father, my lord, sleep on the Golden Throne after defeating Horus?"

"To suppress the so-called Dark Lord." Guilliman answered in his mind without thinking.

This is the fact that the Primarchs such as Lion told him, and all the brothers said so.

He had never thought that his father actually had a divine side. Before this, he always thought that the Emperor was just a powerful and somewhat outrageous mortal.

"I'm glad you know." Malcador nodded.

"But you don't fully understand the terrifying nature of the Dark Lord. He is an incomparably terrifying Chaos God who occupies one of the seats on the Chaos Octagon.

In order to prevent the Emperor from consuming the power of the Warp and awakening the Dark Lord, I, Orperson, Roshi, and others tried our best and finally stopped your father."

Guilliman was unaware of what Malcador said. He arrived too late and missed too many things.

"Even compared to the four gods we know, the threat posed by the Dark Lord is far greater.

He himself symbolizes the end and death, and is more destructive than other Chaos Gods.

If He wakes up, it will not only destroy our universe, but even destroy the subspace.

What's even more fatal is that the Dark Lord and the Emperor are two sides of the same coin."

"How much the Emperor loves humanity and how much he desires to save it. Once he ascends to become the Dark Lord, this love and obsession will be completely twisted into an extreme possessiveness of humanity."

"By then, all human souls will be devoured and absorbed by it, becoming part of that cold sun.

If Roshi proves the existence of the multiverse, I even suspect that humans will be swallowed up along with the worlds that the Dark Lord expands to."

"By then, all humans in the multiverse will merge into one sun, which means absolute death and the end."

"We are not even as strong as the Eldar, for our control over the Webway is far less powerful than theirs."

Guilliman listened to Malcador's weary voice in his mind, but he still couldn't understand what the benefits and necessity were of establishing this damned state religion and deifying the Emperor.

Faith is poisonous, Guilliman knew it well.

The Emperor also often taught them to understand the world using materialism.

Even idealistic forces like the Warp and Psionics are not inexplicable.

Because materialism never denies the existence of all non-material things, but rather seeks methods and angles to explain them.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration came to Guilliman's mind, as if he had vaguely grasped some key elements.

Faith is toxic...

Precisely because it is poisonous, we need to believe in the Emperor.

Because the Emperor is the Lord of Darkness, poisoning the Emperor is poisoning the Lord of Darkness.

Malcador saw Guilliman's thoughts, but he did not expose him directly. Instead, he let Guilliman understand it himself.

Many times, people will only accept something completely after they have figured it out.

Otherwise, no matter how much others say, there will still be a thorn in your heart, and it will get deeper and deeper as time goes by.

Dorn remained silent as a rock, waiting for his brother and Malcador.

"Faith is powerful. Perhaps one person's faith is very small, but if this number is added up to hundreds of millions, billions, trillions or even higher, it will converge to a level that no one can ignore," said Machado.

"The faith and souls of countless men will pour into the Warp, uniting in the Sea of Souls to transform the Emperor into what they believe him to be."

Even if the Emperor himself is not like this, the power of faith will distort and transform him.

"Even when the God Emperor forged by faith becomes powerful enough, he can even contaminate, divide, and absorb some of the Dark King's concepts, thereby achieving the goal of using the Dark King's power to deal with the Dark King."

"The Dark Lord is a Chaos God who symbolizes the end and death. Humanity's toxic beliefs will distort some of His concepts, turning Him into humanity's patron god."

The Emperor ascended the Golden Throne and relied on this incredible artifact left over from the Dark Age of Technology to extract psychic energy and suppress the awakening of the Dark Lord.

Whether this approach will be successful remains to be seen.

No one knows whether the one who wakes up will be the Lord of Humanity in their impression, or the Dark Lord who has completed the transformation and is dominated by the nature of end and death.

"Everything is for humanity. For this reason, the Emperor is even willing to accept the worship and faith of countless humans, becoming the so-called [God-Emperor]."

"We have to exhaust all our resources and perform saturation calculations."

Guilliman felt powerless, his back, once as straight as a pine tree, now resting on the gold and marble chair. He had never been so depressed. Even when Lorgar and Angron had stabbed him in the back, he had only felt anger and revenge, not helplessness.

Malcador continued to describe his and the Emperor's plans.

"Faith is a risky move, but if used well, it still has the power to turn the tide."

Guilliman knew that Malcador was right, but he could not accept it emotionally.

Faith poisons the Emperor's humanity and further amplifies his divine nature.

If this time is long enough, no one knows whether the Emperor will completely transform into the God-Emperor.

There will be a qualitative change from being human to being a god, because the power that dominates it has changed from humanity to divinity, and the gods will act according to their own instincts.

"Is there really no other way?" Guilliman was still unwilling to give in.

"As I've said, Guilliman, this is a saturation budget. We've exhausted every avenue available to us, and this is just one of them."

Malcador's voice was neither joyful nor sad.

Of course, he and the Emperor knew the consequences of doing so, but they both chose to do so resolutely and without regrets.

"In this dark universe, simply surviving has exhausted all of humanity's strength and wisdom. Many times, we have no choice, not even the Emperor."

"We lose our humanity, we lose a lot, but if it's for the sake of survival and the continuation of the human race, it's worth it."

Roboute Guilliman, Thirteenth Son of the Emperor, Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar, weeps in his heart, weeping for his father.

And Dorn felt the changes in his brother's heart, he just patted Guilliman's shoulder armor with his broad palm to give him a little comfort.

"Will you not suffer, Dorn?" Guilliman asked.

"Of course," Dorn replied, "but I am Rogal Dorn."

"I cannot waver, I cannot be in pain, I cannot be weak."

Dorn is always the most loyal and strong one. He understands the Emperor's decision, but he follows and obeys unconditionally.

Guilliman's emotions gradually calmed down, which was his advantage.

"Let the meeting continue, Sigillite," Guilliman said in his mind.

Malcador did not answer. This private conversation between him, Guilliman, and Dorn only took place in his mind.
The Sigillite knew that among the loyal Primarchs still active today, the one most opposed to the Ecclesiarchy was undoubtedly Guilliman.

As long as you convince him, then others will not be a problem.

The meeting is still going on.

Although everyone was shocked and resistant to the sudden emergence of the Imperial State Religion, they were all so pale and powerless in the face of Malcador's will.

At this point, the nine Terra High Leader presidencies have been determined, and everyone can only pin their hopes on the remaining three seats.

"Solar Commander, Grand Marshal of the Custodes, Grand Chancellor of the Archives, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, Admiral of the Fleet, Mother Superior of the Sisters of Battle, Spokesperson for the Charter Captains."

“They will take up three seats based on the actual situation.”

Malcador's voice continued to ring out, and the high-ranking officials of the empire who were mentioned were ecstatic, while those who were not mentioned were dejected and looked like they had lost their parents.

No matter how high their current positions, the real center of power will be among those mentioned by Malcador.

They either have to find a way to switch sides and throw themselves into the arms of these systems, or they can only slowly sink on their own ship.

Guilliman's eyes were complicated. There was still no place for Space Marines in the center of power of the Empire.

The Astartes are the protectors of humanity, not its rulers.

But then Malcador's voice rang out.

"Appoint the position of High Commander of the Empire, outside the High Lords Council, to be held by Roboute Guilliman."

The crowd's reaction to this order was much smaller. Everyone knew that although the Astartes could not enter the center of imperial power, it was impossible to ignore their existence.

The Legiones Astartes are humanity's most elite military force.

Their size may be far inferior to that of other mortal armies in the empire, but the effect they can produce is far beyond everyone's imagination.

The Astartes only make up 1% of humanity's military strength, but it is this 1% that can sometimes accomplish things that the remaining 99% cannot do no matter how hard they try.

"The Astartes cannot hold a seat, yet the Primarch is given an Imperial Commander."

"Isn't this equivalent to having thirteen seats, except the thirteenth seat is hidden?"

Guilliman listened to the discussions of the participants with mixed feelings.

He was still tricked by the old man Makado. He said he was just asking him to help make decisions, but he ended up getting himself into trouble.

The so-called Imperial Commander was just a name changed to avoid the title of "War Marshal".

When he thought of the Warmaster, Guilliman shuddered. This was a hot potato. He didn't even dare to imagine how furious Lion would be when he heard the news.

Although Ryan does look down on Zhan Shuai much more than before.

But it would be fine if no one had this thing, but if it happened to fall on Guilliman's head, it would be hard to guarantee whether the people of Caliban would remain calm.

"Why not Dorn? He is more qualified than I am. Before the Primarchs returned to Terra, it was he who resisted the rebels' offensive. He single-handedly carried the burden of the Empire."

"Lian is better than me. He deserves to be the commander-in-chief of the empire."

In the face of Guilliman's refusal, Malcador shook his head, rejecting his excuse.

"Although the Imperial Commander is nominally in charge of military affairs, what is more important is to coordinate the relationship between the mortal army and the Astartes Legion. Do you expect Lion to coordinate?"

When the two words "Lion" and "Coordination" were put together, Guilliman immediately shook his head.

The Lion King only cares about winning, but coordination and logistical supplies have nothing to do with him.

In the First Legion, this was the job of Corswayn and Lochne.

"Brother, I must continue to fulfill my mission. I must focus all my energy on Terra and the solar system. I am not qualified for the position of Imperial Commander."

Dawn refused, with great sincerity.

"And with my personality, I'm afraid I won't be able to find someone who can work with me all the time." Dorn made a rare joke.

Guilliman understood Dorn's character. Once he said no, it would definitely be a no. There would be no second possibility.

It is almost impossible to persuade Dorn to change his decision with words.

Moreover, working with Dorn meant enduring his sharp and blunt words, which was a huge test.

In desperation, Guilliman had to take on this heavy responsibility.

By the Emperor, he wants Macragge back!
He didn't want to stay in this damn Terra.

Now trapped in the quagmire of Terra, God knows how much time it will take Guilliman.

A barely perceptible curve crossed the corner of Malcador's mouth, but he still looked extremely serious and solemn.

Compared to him, Guilliman is still a little immature.

He certainly hadn't expected Guilliman to become Regent of the Empire, and he hadn't deceived the Primarch; after all, he was becoming the Supreme Commander of the Empire.

He simply let Guilliman act as the Imperial Regent for a period of time, a position in reality but not in name.

In a sense, Guilliman was just a temporary worker he captured, so this did not constitute a violation of the Emperor's instructions and will.

Once the empire's political system is restored, we'll kick him out and send him back to Macragge.

Malcador has had enough of this empire and now he just wants to get out of it as soon as possible. He really wants to retire.

Guilliman is a good boy, he will understand Uncle Malcador's difficulties.

The Seal Holder was very envious of Orpesson and John who could just walk away. They were both immortals, so why didn't they have to worry about anything?

It was all because of his damn sense of responsibility that tied him tightly to this place called a throne but actually a prison.

When he thought about his upcoming vacation, Makado was overjoyed.

However, he still has some things to pass on, and no one else has the courage and prestige to accomplish these tasks except him.

"Due to the heroic performance of many mortal auxiliaries during the Great Heresy, I have decided to grant them independent authority."

"Effective today, all but a few personnel from the various mortal auxiliaries will be reorganized into the Astra Militarum. Simultaneously, the Imperial Navy will be established, and the vast majority of the Empire's naval forces will be under the unified command of Terra."

"The Astra Militarum commander cannot mobilize the navy, and the navy commander cannot mobilize the Astra Militarum."

Guilliman knew that Malcador's order was directed at the Primarchs and the various Astartes Legions.

If power were to be delegated to the High Lords of Terra, the power of the Primarchs would inevitably be weakened again.

Guilliman could only accept this.

A considerable portion of his massive Ultramar auxiliary army will be separated from its original organization and assigned to the ranks of the Imperial Astra Militarum.

Of course, in reality they are still under the command of the Primarch.

After all, it is impossible for Terra to cross half the galaxy to supply the Astra Militarum with supplies to the 500 worlds of Ultramar.

Such behavior is undoubtedly like throwing meat buns at a dog, which will never come back.

This is a political statement that strengthens the overall authority of the empire over a longer time scale.

The Imperial High Lords Council will have the power to directly command the Astra Militarum forces on the Five Hundred Worlds.

It turns out that Terra did not have the power to bypass the Primarch and deploy the Primarch's mortal auxiliary army.

Malcador continued to talk about his reform guidelines, but generally speaking, they were all supplements to the overall strategy at the beginning.

He rebuilt a workable administrative system for the empire, which had suffered from the Great Rebellion, and redistributed and balanced the forces among the various parties.

This meeting at the Terran Palace lasted for more than three solar days, and even Guilliman felt tired and sleepy.

However, just after the meeting, when Guilliman wanted to find Malcador to discuss the internal reform of the Space Marines in detail, he was shocked to discover a horrifying fact.

He couldn't find Macador.

The empire's chancellor disappeared without a trace, and even the imperial guards didn't know where he had gone.

On Machado's desk, there was only one letter written by him.

After seeing this, Guilliman wanted to set fire to this damn bureaucratic headquarters.

Malcador said that he had completed the construction of the framework and the empire's operating system had been fixed.

Then the remaining details will be left to Guilliman and the High Lords to deal with.

He himself gave up his responsibilities as the seal bearer and went to find the life he liked.

"Malcador! This is a deserter! A naked deserter!" Guilliman's scream even alarmed the commander of the Imperial Guard, Valdo.

However, the majestic and imposing commander of the Guards seemed to have known Malcador's intentions for a long time and was not surprised by this.

In fact, he also came to say goodbye.

"The Emperor has entrusted me with a special mission, one that even you and I cannot express. Goodbye, Guilliman. Perhaps we will meet again someday in the future."

Valdor threw Guilliman a light farewell and then disappeared into the complex palace.

Guilliman felt like a thousand horses were running wildly in his heart, and words could no longer express his feelings.

Malcador was gone, Valdor was gone, and so were the other Primarchs.

What did he do wrong to end up like this?

Guilliman felt like he was the last person in the game of passing the baton. Others could just run away, but who would he blame if he ran away?
"Fortunately, Dorne is still here. At least I still have a brother who can accompany me."

Just when Guilliman was feeling extremely melancholy, he took a few bottles of Fenrisian mead given by Leman Russ and went to have a drink with his brother Rogal Dorn.

The Imperial Fists' Primarch Guards had already arrived.

The leader was the black knight Sigismund, whose usually calm face was stained with a rare look of fear.

"Lord Guilliman! Our Gene-Father has vanished along with the damned traitor Perturabo!"

This bad news immediately made Guilliman feel dizzy.

"Did you see it with your own eyes?" Guilliman demanded, his face full of disbelief.

The Black Knight was also numb. He had just been following the Primarch's side, while little Perturabo kept a subtle maximum distance from Dorn.

Between them, one is fast-forwarding time while the other is reversing time, and they can only be safe and sound within a certain range.

"I saw it with my own eyes. I saw that there seemed to be some resonance between the Primarch and Perturabo. A sudden time rift took them away."

Don, Don is gone too?

Do not! ! !
Under Sigismund's horrified gaze, the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds closed his eyes and collapsed to the ground.

An ancient and sad song seemed to echo in the air around, which made people cry.

"Snowflakes are falling and the north wind is howling~"

ps: Roboute Guilliman (Aquaman form)
(End of this chapter)