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

Chapter 781 The Change of the State Religion (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"My lord, are you really going to leave Terra?"

“The key is not the foolish masses who are incited, but the ambitious people and vested interests behind them who are fueling the fire.”

"If you leave, wouldn't that be exactly what they want?"

Inside the Primarch's office, his assistant Tyrean was extremely anxious and tried his best to persuade Guilliman to stay.

Tirian is not a mortal, but a stone golem specially created by the High Tech Community according to the Primarch's needs to handle the complex political affairs of the Empire.

Stone-faced officials like him have filled many vacancies in the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice.

Those are all exceptionally demanding and difficult positions, requiring frequent staff turnover to compensate for natural attrition.

Ordinary officials are like biological gears, maintaining the operation of a massive machine.

Shi Ren's diligence and fairness were highly praised by the senior management of these departments.

They are the most perfect subordinates, a fact that even the most demanding and critical Terran officials acknowledge.

“Yes, I know.” Guilliman looked at Tyrean before him, and then thought of the mortals around Alfreda, and couldn’t help but sigh.

The emperor's boundless trust in mortals may indeed be a mistake.

"But even if I stay here, what can I do?"

“They no longer trust me; everything I do is seen as a conspiracy in their eyes.”

“More and more people are standing up against me. If I want to continue to lead the country, I will inevitably have to carry out a thorough purge.”

"They rejected my reforms because my arrival made their power no longer so supreme."

Guilliman saw it better than anyone else: Alfreda's coup was nothing more than a test by a group of cowards hiding in the shadows.

This foolish woman is just a knife, yet she thinks everything is her own idea.

"Don't be fooled by their claims that they're doing this for the Emperor. If my father were to actually step down from the throne and question them about what they've done, they'd probably be scared to death on the spot."

"They were able to escape from Holy Terra to the Eye of Terror in five minutes, which is faster than any web passage or space bridge."

Guilliman chuckled and made a joke, as if he really didn't care about anything.

“The tests will not be just once, but will come one after another like the tide, and I am tired of all this intrigue.”

"These struggles are meaningless; they are nothing more than backstabbing and scheming for a pitiful amount of power."

“Loshi is right. He said I’m not actually good at politics, but I can use absolute skill and technique to handle trouble.”

"I hate the darkness and filth of politics because I yearn for and admire people and things that are open and honest."

He said my pain came from my unwillingness to let go, my unwillingness to unload my responsibilities and burdens, and my unwillingness to stand idly by while a group of people rush headlong into the abyss.

Guilliman sighed, saying that he had made his choice under external pressure.

Tyrion was in great pain. He knew that Guilliman was a good man, and that good men are the ones who get guns pointed at their heads.

“It’s time for me to let go. I have helped the Empire through the most dangerous hundred years, and the rest of the road is for you to walk your own way.”

"The High Lord will manage the Empire well. A toddler will not learn from his mistakes and truly learn to walk and run unless he falls and bleeds."

As Guilliman spoke, he began tidying up his office.

However, the imperial commander stood there pondering for a long time, but could not find anything that belonged to him.

The office supplies here, even the data boards and quills, are Terra's property, and he only has the right to use them.

“I will take this cup. It has accompanied me through countless difficult days and nights, and its size is not suitable for mortals to use.”

The teacup Guilliman used looked exactly like a bucket to ordinary people.

Although the cup was carefully cleaned, a lethal dose of caffeine still wafted up if you got close.

"Tirion, I have high hopes for you, and I hope you will manage this great empire well in my absence."

"Our empire is a giant ship, carrying the human race to distant lands."

"There may be bad people and fools among them, but don't forget that there are also good and kind people here."

"Never take a one-size-fits-all approach; look at problems dialectically. This is the last piece of experience I can share with you."

"I will return to Macragge and, with my Ultramarines, hold off those green-skinned orcs for the Empire."

After saying this, Guilliman held the cup in his hand, tucked it into his pocket, and walked out of the office without looking back.

He has carefully categorized and sorted all the documents he has processed, ensuring that the person taking over the work can get started quickly.

Guilliman suddenly stopped and turned around, meeting Tyrean's hopeful gaze.

"Don't be sad for me. Perhaps you can think of my actions as a conspiracy theorist, just like they do. Maybe I'm just using this retreat as a pretext to lure out those ambitious people lurking in Terra."

"After all, I have left, but that doesn't mean I can't control Terra's power, like the Assassin's Court, don't you think?"

Guilliman smiled and then left.

As Tyrion gazed at the Primarch's retreating figure, he suddenly saw, behind the majesty and optimism, the emotions of pain and frustration.

He understood that the Primarch was no different from himself, except that the pain he could endure and tolerate was far greater than that of mortals.

"Ugh……"

"The Primarch is truly gone, our commander is gone."

Tyrion looked at this room, a room that had once handled countless matters that determined the fate of humanity, and suddenly it lost its unique brilliance.

Its soul, that selfless imperial commander, has departed.

Tyrion did not pursue Guilliman, understanding that once the Primarch made a decision, it would not be changed.

He simply dug his fingernails tightly into his flesh, but no blood flowed out.

As a stone man, he should have thought rationally, but at this moment, the emotional side of his heart suddenly surged.

"You drove Lord Guilliman away, do you really think you can control the situation as easily as he did?"

"Fools, after Optimus Prime left, who will hold up the sky?"

"It's like ants trying to shake a tree. When the tree falls, how can you insects govern the empire?"

Tirian lamented as he processed the documents so that the high lords could seamlessly coordinate their work.

"The Imperial Guards are at such a critical moment, why are they still silent? If they just speak up, they can represent the Emperor's will and exonerate Lord Guilliman."

"The Imperial Guards are the Emperor's protectors and his representatives. This power even surpasses that of the state religion, which claims to be the executor of the Emperor's will."

"Diocletian, what are you doing?"

Tirian stood in the dimly lit room, gazing in bewilderment toward the Golden Throne.

……

Tirian had a vague feeling that ever since those green-skinned orcs spread the scandals about the Second Empire to Terra, everything seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand.

Coincidence, too many coincidences.

There are no coincidences in the world, only deliberate arrangements disguised as fact.

Meanwhile, Diocletian, the tribune he had been grappling with, had become embroiled in an even greater trouble.

"We need support! We need support!"

"Those people imprisoned in the Shadow Prison have suddenly started a riot!"

"Your Majesty, this is an unprecedented uprising!"

Inside the Terra Palace, which appeared peaceful and no different from usual, the atmosphere was already extremely tense.

Deep beneath the palace, in the secret place known as the Shadow Prison, a long-planned uprising quietly unfolds.

Countless beings that pose a great threat to humanity—whether dangerous creatures, forbidden technologies, or indescribable things that defy description—are all sealed within the Shadow Prison.

They are preserved either because they cannot be destroyed, or because they possess value commensurate with their level of threat.

The Shadow Prison, the most elite and powerful of the Imperial Guards, guards the prisoners here day after day, year after year.

Even during the most dangerous moments of the siege of Terra, Shadow Prisoner never left his post.

They will stay here until the end of time.

Very few people know that beneath the palace, four terrifying demons belonging to the Four Gods of Chaos have been sealed and imprisoned.

They had been suppressed for a long time, their claws and teeth severed to the maximum extent, and they were even used by the Imperial Guards as tools to hone their will and abilities.

The newly recruited members of the Guardians of Shadow Prison must test their combat skills against the sealed Khorne, absorb the poisonous gas of Nurgle to strengthen their resistance, gaze into Tzeentch's eyes to enhance their ability to detect lies, and listen to Slaanesh's whispers to gain insight into more methods of Chaos corruption.

However, no matter what, it is difficult to erase the label of extreme danger on these chaotic demons.

On this day, the Shadow Prisoners patrolling the dark and silent corridors noticed an unusual and terrifying echo.

The runic chains binding Tzeentch's cage were somehow quietly opened by a strange force.

This was only the first Chaos Demon to go out of control, and the freed Tzeentch Archdeacon then opened the cages of the other three Chaos Archdemons without hesitation.

The minions of the dark gods escaped their prison, releasing the rage that had been suppressed for countless years.

The escape of the four Chaos Demons was such a serious incident that it was immediately reported to the warden.

The warden is the Shield Guard Company Commander who leads the Shadow Prison. He is the most ruthless, powerful, and vigilant member of all the Shadow Prisons.

The warden immediately mobilized three hundred shadow guards and summoned the help of the Silent Sisters, the closest comrades of the Imperial Guard.

The dazzling arc of light from the guard spear flashed rapidly in the pitch-black darkness.

The darkness of the Shadow Prison was impenetrable even to the Imperial Guard, who carried the empire's most advanced technological equipment.

They could only rely on memories accumulated over countless years to determine their exact location within the Shadow Prison.

Both offense and defense rely entirely on the experience and combat skills of the Shadow Prisoners, who are fighting desperately against the four Chaos Demons.

The equipment and structure within the Shadow Prison can exert a tremendous suppressive effect on the subspace, which also allows the Shadow Prison guards to restrain these great demons.

The aura of danger, almost tangible, writhed and crawled across the ground of the Shadow Prison, heading towards the Imperial Guards clad in jet-black, gleaming gold power armor.

From the tips of specially crafted guard spears, anti-phantom bombs roared out. These were the most exquisitely crafted anti-demonic weapons of the Mechanicus, capable of inflicting massive damage on enemies in the warp.

Having broken free of its restraints, the bloodthirsty freak had no weapons, so it simply snapped the chains that bound it and swung them to send the Shadow Prisoner flying.

The bloodthirsty madman's power far surpassed that of these black-armored guards, but the guards had perfect teamwork to compensate for this weakness.

They formed a battle formation, relentlessly pushing the bloodthirsty madman back towards the cage.

"The Emperor's Will is Torched!"

"Destroy all demons and monsters!"

The Shadow Prison Guards shouted in unison, their boiling fighting spirit even suppressing the most ferocious bloodthirsty demon.

Meanwhile, the great unclean one who harbors filth has begun to unleash his poisonous mist.

That was the embodiment of the concept of plague, capable of penetrating the protection of power armor and directly affecting the superhuman bodies of the Imperial Guard.

Weakness, powerlessness, and pain washed over them, but the Imperial Guards' iron will and powerful physique held them back.

Before joining the Shadow Prison, they would be toughened up with the stench of the Great Impure Ones, so they are naturally able to endure it for a long time now.

“Motalian…”

Come to me!

The Great Impure One murmured, sensing the presence of the Primarch who had been snatched from the hands of the Father.

"Fool, things are more important!"

"You can't take Mortalian with you!"

The Myriad Transformations Demon Lord rebuked, his sharp beak spitting out vicious venom as he cast arcane spells within the Shadow Prison, where it was nearly impossible to utilize psionic energy.

However, the Great Imp, who should have been the natural enemy of Tzeentch and had no chance of cooperating, obediently followed the other's orders and continued to restrain the Shadow Prisoners.

Like a phantom, the Great Guardian whispered in the ears of the Imperial Guard, but these most stunning human creations of the emperor did not react much to corruption.

They lack the conventional concepts of emotions and desires; all they possess is boundless loyalty.

The Shadow Prisoners could only do their best to restrain the Chaos Demon, but they were powerless to kill it or force it back into its cage.

That is why the warden called for the assistance of the tribune Diocletian.

“We must stop these four guys from escaping, or the entire Terra will become a living hell.”

The warden and Diocletian, who had just arrived, spoke quickly.

The other part of the Emperor's Claw, the Silent Sisters, known as the "Left Hand," have arrived here.

The Annihilation Knight, or the Soulless Queen, Gentia Kohler, wielded her greatsword and charged headlong into the Chaos Demon.

The Soulless Queen charged even faster and more fiercely than the Imperial Guards, completely ignoring the vicious witchcraft emanating from the Chaos Demon.

When Tzeentch's blue psionic mist reached Kohler's silver power armor, an invisible devouring force extinguished all psionic magic.

Her fur-trimmed, enhanced ethereal cloak billowed through the air, annihilating the deadly plague unleashed by the Great Demon Nurgle.

The Silent Sisters never speak, which allows them to blend perfectly into the silent environment as they fight in the dark.

The warden and Diocletian appeared from the left and right sides of the Soulless Queen.

They displayed impeccable teamwork, using their anti-psychic weapons to begin weakening and driving away the Chaos Demon.

If given a choice, they wouldn't kill the banished Chaos Archdemons. These beings, residing in the Shadow Prison, are crucial for cultivating warp resistance in the new blood of the Imperial Guard. If they were to directly engage in battle with fully-formed Chaos Archdemons without even having witnessed the ones in their cages, the casualty rate among these perfect humans would likely increase dramatically.

Faced with the combined attack of the Imperial Guards and the dangerous assistance of the Silent Sisters, even the Chaos Demon could only barely hold on.

Even the most ferocious and bloodthirsty madmen fear the Soulless Queen's jet-black two-handed executioner's greatsword; the wounds inflicted by it cannot be healed even by psychic energy.

This weapon, known as the Sword of Oblivion, was forged by the Emperor himself and given to his left hand as a gift.

The Imperial Guards fought desperately to repel the Chaos Demon, while also guarding against the possibility that the aftermath of the battle might open other dangerous prisons.

They could only advance the front line little by little, minimizing the risks.

Meanwhile, in other cages, Mortalian, the Primarch of the Death Guard and daughter of the Emperor, who had been imprisoned for a hundred years, was watching the show unfold.

"You can let me out, and I'll help you get rid of these filthy warp filth."

"It's simple. The Chaos Demon is a terrifying enemy to you, but to us Primarchs, it's just a slightly stronger elite monster."

"Especially that disgusting, unclean creature, its rotting digestive juices are flowing right up to my door. Could you please stop it?"

"Seriously, Diocletian, won't you consider my proposal?"

Mortalian's languid voice came from the darkness beside her.

A pair of eyes emitting a pale green glow flickered on the display screen of the Imperial Guard's tactical helmet.

As the emperor himself can attest, everything she said was the truth.

For a Primarch who wields psychic power, banishing or repelling a Warp Demon is not a difficult task.

Each Primarch possesses its own warp essence, and a Primarch who has unleashed that essence can be as powerful as a warp lesser god.

Aside from psionic Muggles like Guilliman, who would be foolish enough to engage in close-quarters combat when facing a warp demon, only to be left half-dead by the demon's psionic attacks?

"The best help you can give us is to stay put!"

Diocletian roared as he pierced the skin of the Great Unclean with his guard spear, but more foul liquid spurted out.

"Tch, if you don't want it, just say so. Why are you making such a fuss?"

Mortalian remained in her cage. Although she was imprisoned as the emperor's daughter, her living environment was still maintained in accordance with the social status commensurate with her position.

Everything here, except for what you can't see, can be described as luxurious.

The Primarch remained in her own cage, observing the outside world through her extraordinary psychic powers.

She could feel the paternal aura emanating from the Great Impure One, which made her tremble and feel a chill.

The experience of being trapped in the Plague Garden had left an indelible mark on her mind.

“Strange, these black corns are all from the elite soldiers selected by the Imperial Guard. They have guarded the Shadow Prison for hundreds of years and have never made any major mistakes.”

Even if a prisoner escapes a few times, the Shadow Prisoners can react quickly and put the person back in custody.

"There has never been such a serious and chaotic event before."

Mortalian pondered this in her heart.

Imprisoned in the Shadow Prison, she had almost nothing to do to pass the time.

Even her once-proud numerology, after being proven to be connected to Nurgle, was something she dared not even think about.

All she could do was reflect on her past and observe the prisoners in the other cells.

Especially that cage marked with [XⅠ], she vaguely felt that it had some connection to her lost brother.

The Second Primarch and the Eleventh Primarch were both erased from existence by the Emperor himself, and even the memories of the other Primarchs were wiped clean.

Mortalian's psychic powers are growing stronger, and she is even able to occasionally break through the seal placed on her by the Emperor and recall some things from the past.

"No, these warp demons don't want to escape."

"They seem to be... keeping these Imperial Guards occupied?"

The Primarch's insight was incredibly sharp; she saw through the intentions of those Chaos Demons at a glance.

Even the Imperial Guards were caught up in the intense tension and fierce fighting, making it impossible for them to take a more objective, detached perspective on the situation.

"Interesting. It seems that those beings in the subspace don't want the Imperial Guard to leave."

Mortalian crossed her slender legs over her other leg, lying comfortably and easily on the soft down cushion.

The fierce battle between the warp demons and the Imperial Guard was unfolding before their eyes, but the runic chains and the gates prevented the aftershocks of the battle from affecting them.

Mortalian watched everything as if she were witnessing a rare and exciting duel.

She realized that the Imperial Guards had gained the upper hand.

Those silent nuns, all with their hair tied up in topknots, were indeed adept at dealing with warp demons, whose power was steadily diminishing.

This war will last at least several days, and apart from a portion of the Imperial Guard guarding the Golden Throne, the rest will be tied down by the Battle of the Shadow Prison.

"Guilliman is in trouble. Those evil gods don't want the Imperial Guard to be out in the open. Could it be that they want to assassinate Guilliman?"

"That weakling could indeed be killed; it's truly shameful."

Mortalian could only guess based on the information she had.

She subconsciously wanted to use numerology to calculate the situation outside, but she immediately killed the thought as soon as it arose.

"Forget it, it's none of my business. The emperor has imprisoned me here, so why should I care about his empire?"

"That idiot Guilliman will be screwed over by his inability to use psionic powers sooner or later. How can a Primarch not know how to use psionic powers?"

"He was like a fish that thought it breathed with lungs, and he suffocated himself in the water!"

……

While most of the Imperial Guards were tied up by the sudden riot in the Shadow Prison, the situation outside was also turbulent.

The demonstration that originally took place on Victory Avenue against Imperial Commander Robert Guilliman gradually escalated under the impetus of his fervent supporters.

Bishop Elfreda, the head of the state church, led her supporters to the state church headquarters, the State Church Palace, located on Terra.

In her capacity as bishop, she convened a supreme congregation.

After a century of development, the national religion has long since evolved into a completely independent and highly organized hierarchical system.

The supreme leader of the state religion is the Pope, currently held by Euphrates Chillo, the founder of the state religion and the living saint of the Empire.

Below these are the cardinals, thousands of whom control dioceses scattered throughout the empire's various worlds.

The bishop position that Elfreda held was not, strictly speaking, a very high-ranking position within the state church's internal system.

However, Terra was undoubtedly an exception. The bishops who were able to stay in Terra were all outstanding individuals who had received special training and were on whom high hopes were placed.

"Elfreda, look what you've done!"

"Who gave you permission to do such a crazy thing in the Pope's absence?"

One of the bishops, who had been urgently summoned to the meeting, immediately questioned him, already knowing what his colleague had done.

The God-Empress, in front of countless people, rebuked the Emperor's son and incited her followers to expel Guilliman.

Even if Guilliman did indeed do something that violated the Emperor's sacred authority, it was not something that a mere bishop like her could directly interfere with.

Even the living saint Euphrates Kira could only question Guilliman in the name of the emperor, but had no right to judge Guilliman.

Throughout the entire empire, only the Emperor himself has this authority; no one else, not even a High Lord, has the right to criticize the Primarch.

Disrespecting superiors and overstepping one's bounds is a taboo thing no matter where you are.

Moreover, Guilliman said that the Emperor knew about this and forgave their actions, so why did Alfreda make such a drastic decision without listening to Guilliman's explanation?
“Leo Diaz, I do not accept your accusations.”

Alfreda retorted coldly.

“My daughter Christine received a divine revelation from the God-King, who informed us of Guilliman’s plot and instructed us to expose it.”

“I doubt the purity and steadfastness of your faith in the Emperor, Bishop Diaz.”

If you knew that the Primarch had committed an offense against the Emperor's authority, would you remain silent out of fear of retribution?

Faced with his colleague's accusations that showed no regard for his reputation, Bishop Diaz's expression immediately changed.

"You are insulting and questioning my loyalty, how dare you?"

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Elfreda's aura was incredibly terrifying.

“Even if I were just a commoner, let alone a bishop of the state church, as long as I believe in the emperor, I have the right and the obligation to stand up and punish any offender.”

“Your faith is not pure enough; you are concerned with too many things outside of faith. Your opposition to me is a betrayal of the Emperor!”

One accusation after another was slapped down on him, leaving Bishop Diaz speechless and momentarily at a loss for words.

Everyone here is a high-ranking member of the state religion, even if they belong to different factions and have different ideologies.

But since they were all colleagues, even internal debates and controversies were always done in a way that saved face for each other.

Be a man to stay on the line and meet each other in the future.

Diaz had almost never seen a situation like Elfreda's, where she treated her opponent as an enemy, as a heretic, with such fierce rebukes and harsh interrogations.

Guilliman's reformed church placed greater emphasis on rationality rather than on fanatical and extreme ideologies.

If he answers that he should be cautious, he will be immediately judged as disloyal to the emperor. How can he possibly respond to that?

"So what do you want to do? If you drive away the Primarch, who will guide us?"

"You think I can rely on you? What are you?!"

"He is the son of God; in the absence of the Emperor, he is the embodiment of the Empire's will!"

"Don't forget, our Emperor's Manifesto has always required us to view the world with a rational and objective attitude, rather than expressing our beliefs with mindless fanaticism."

"I see you're just full of fanaticism now, where's your rationality?"

Bishop Diaz rebuked.

He didn't understand why his colleague had suddenly changed, as if he were a completely different person.

"That's cowardice! Rationality depends on the situation. When facing a traitor, should we still be rational?"

"Let's not talk about that now," Bishop Diaz interrupted.

"You say your daughter Christine received divine revelation from the God-King, what evidence do you have?"

Christine, who had been standing behind her mother, stepped out. Her long, pale blonde hair shone with a captivating luster under the chandelier of the church.

Her gaze was calm and serene as she slowly looked toward Bishop Diaz.

The next moment, a beam of holy light shone from behind Christine, and a chanting sound, like a hymn, began to drift in and gradually entered everyone's ears.

Everyone's expression changed instantly. The nun's demeanor bore a striking resemblance to the living saint Euphrates Kierle.

However, Bishop Diaz, with his devout faith, vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

The things this nun displayed always felt somewhat deliberate.

"What? Even with the Emperor's revelation, you still don't believe me?"

"High Sister Teresa, aren't you going to say anything?"

Alfreda did not forget her initial goal: to win the support of the few armed forces within the Church of England: the Fighting Sisters.

As the national religion has developed to this day, many different organizations have emerged within it.

A penitential order composed entirely of women has produced many fighting nuns with fanatical faith and formidable combat skills.

Every battle nun is completely devoted to the worship of the Emperor. They maintain their inner purity and study ancient combat techniques with great enthusiasm, honing their fighting will.

Equipped with specially designed mortal-model power armor, these combat nuns are even more formidable than the Sun Auxiliary Army.

Faith has given them greater power, and at times, they can do the completely incredible.

"Where is your loyalty to the Emperor? Where is your faith? Now the Emperor has revealed the truth, and Christine is the new living saint."

"Why are you not loyal to her? Are you not loyal to the Emperor?"

Sister Teresa and Christine locked eyes, and in the next moment, this battle-hardened nun made her choice.

She stood beside Christine, joining Alfreda in her ranks.

"You've gone mad! You're going to stage a coup?" Bishop Diaz screamed.

"His Holiness the Pope has not yet returned to Terra. What you are doing is blatant rebellion!"

“He is a heretic who has already wavered; he is not worthy to stand here,” Elfrieda said in a low voice.

As soon as she finished speaking, the elder nun drew a specially modified version of a mortal bomb gun from her waist, designed for use by combat nuns.

The cold muzzle of the bomb gun emitted a cross-shaped burst of flame, and a powerful bomb flew out instantly, piercing through Bishop Diaz's chest.

The remaining people were immediately horrified; killing a high-ranking bishop in the Highest Holy Council was something they never dared to imagine.

"This is the fate of heretics. The empire has been infiltrated and controlled by Guilliman. We must uproot the foundation left by this traitor who has brought disaster to the country."

"We must purge the weak and compromising elements from within the state religion, so that the embodiment of the Emperor's will may become even purer!"

"Everything for the Emperor, everything for humanity!"

"Elfreda shouted, while behind her, Christine's lips curled into a playful smile.

She knew that the die was cast.

(End of this chapter)