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

Chapter 800 Saving the Emperor
"I never imagined that one day I would need to think about how to save the emperor."

"Even during the war of betrayal launched by Horus in the past, all I thought about was saving the human empire, not saving my father."

“I have witnessed his boundless power. It is normal for many mortals to think of him as a god. After all, a person who radiates holy light and can achieve all goals with spiritual energy is no different from a god.”

Guilliman sighed softly; even the most boisterous high lords had not weighed on his heart so heavily.

The empire is so vast that even if its central brain—the High Lords Council—goes into a frenzy of chaos, it won't cause too much damage to the whole.

“I’ve spoken with the Emperor and Macado about the Dark Lord before,” Loshi said.

And everyone's attention was completely focused on him.

"Even the Emperor himself is not absolutely certain that he knows the Dark Lord very well."

"After all, before facing Horus, the Emperor, feeling that he was not sure of victory, had devoured the power of the warp without limit, and even appeared in the real universe as an obsidian sphere surrounded by lightning."

"At that time, he may have been aware of the existence of the Dark Lord, but he was not very clear about how terrifying the Dark Lord was."

"It was me and Macardo who, with the help of the Emperor's first Warmaster Orpeson, managed to persuade him to stop absorbing warp energy and return him from the abyss of depravity to the human world."

“We told him: It is better to die proudly as a human than to live a wretched life as a vassal of the Dark Lord.”

"It was from that time that the Emperor truly realized just how terrifying the Dark Lord within him really was."

"The Dark Lord is a chaotic evil god whose true nature has not yet been awakened. He is a kind of being like the Lord of All Changes, the Father, the Prince of Joy, and the Blood God that we know."

"Even compared to other evil gods, the Dark Lord's authority and power are more extreme—end and death, utter destruction without reason or purpose."

"His destruction may not be limited to humanity, nor to the real universe, but may also include other chaotic deities."

As Rosie recounted that little-known history, the worldviews of the others present were also violently collapsing and being reshaped as they listened.

These were secrets they had never known before, and such important secrets would never have been leaked if the situation hadn't been so urgent.

Even the Grey Knights, the Pope of the State Church, were not qualified to know.

This so-called King of Darkness was actually a Chaos God who had not yet awakened.

Even more deadly is the indistinguishable close relationship between the Emperor and the Dark Lord.

If the Emperor is the god of chaos, then what are they? The servants of the evil god of chaos?

A bizarre thought flashed through Loken's mind:
If the Emperor is a Chaos God, then the Primarch is His Great Demon.

Twenty-one Primarchs, twenty-one Great Demons more powerful than the chief Great Demon of the Four Chaos Gods.

Astartes is the demon legion under the command of the Great Demon, while the most numerous mortals are the lowest of the low, serving demons.

All of this sounds reasonable, but it is so blasphemous that it gives Loken the urge to purify himself immediately.

He silently apologized to the emperor, regretting his delusions; he should never have had such an extremely dangerous idea.

When Loken looked at Garo, he knew that his old brother must have similar thoughts.

Loken suddenly froze, as if paralyzed by lightning.

He recalled the whispers of the Chaos Demon Samus that had appeared in his mind when he had previously performed an Imperial Tarot reading.

They have always believed that Samus is essentially a great demon of indiscriminate chaos.

The so-called "undifferentiated chaos" actually refers most of the time to other subspace forces besides the four Chaos Gods.

The four Chaos Gods are the Warp, but the Warp is not the four Chaos Gods.

These four powerful evil gods only occupy a tiny corner of the subspace; they are projections of some great being.

Since the Lord of Darkness has not awakened, His power naturally falls into the category of the Undifferentiated Chaos.

So, Samus might be a great demon of the Dark Lord?
Loken seemed to understand why Samus had been bothering him all along.

Subspace beings disregard time, so when they are born in the future, they are also born simultaneously in the past timeline.

So even though the Dark Lord has not yet awakened, His minions, the Great Demons, are already at this point in time.

Loken suddenly became even more panicked. If the Dark Lord had indeed been born in the future, then this new evil god would span the timeline, which meant that their attempt to stop him was doomed to fail.

"Everyone, don't panic," Qi Le said firmly, looking around at everyone.

The living saint's voice had a powerful infectious quality that made the listeners involuntarily quiet down.

"Even if the Emperor really has a close relationship with the Dark Lord, so what?"

“We trust and worship the emperor because he is our savior who pulled humanity out of the mire of a dark age of conflict and reunited humanity from its brokenness.”

"The Great Expedition restored a glimmer of humanity's former glory. Although it was not successful, it still allowed us to once again reign supreme in the galaxy."

"In my view, the Emperor and the Dark Lord are perhaps two sides of the same coin, opposing each other."

But wasn't the reason he remained seated on the golden throne, enduring suffering, precisely to suppress the Dark Lord's side?

"Who among us harbors, or does not harbor, base malice within us?"

"Even if the Emperor is truly the Lord of Darkness, isn't it enough that he was willing to sacrifice himself for humanity and commit unspeakable deceptions and atrocities?"

"There is a famous saying in Ancient Terra: 'Judging by actions, not intentions, for no one is perfect.' We can see the Emperor's actions and sacrifices. Should we overturn all his achievements just because he may have harbored a primal desire to destroy humanity?"

"Even the Emperor, who is two sides of the same coin as the Dark Lord, has repeatedly shouldered incredibly heavy responsibilities for humanity, becoming a solid support for humanity with boundless love and responsibility."

"Do we still have the right to question the Emperor's stance and his great love for humanity?"

Qi Le's words were like a thunderclap, shattering the doubts and wavering in everyone's mind about the emperor.

Even the emperor didn't waver or submit, so what are they afraid of?

Loken looked ashamed. How could he use such blasphemous thoughts to measure a great being who was willing to make such a sacrifice for humanity?

“We only need to remember one thing: humanity is always in the Emperor’s choice,” Losi said.

"Correspondingly, emperors are always among the choices of humankind."

“I believe my father has not yet become the Lord of Darkness.” Guilliman pumped his fist in encouragement. “If he had become the God of Chaos, how could we be here talking about him so arrogantly?”

"So I guess he might have felt powerless or temporarily lost his way while suppressing the Dark Lord."

"The chaos in Terra is the most powerful evidence. The reason why the state religion suddenly rose to power is because it has the invisible support of the Dark Lord behind it."

"The Lord of Darkness does not want to see humanity remain rational; He prefers followers who are closer to His destructive nature, more fanatical and fanatical."

"Because these chaotic and fanatical beliefs are closer to the essence of the Dark Lord, that chaotic evil god, and can be more easily transformed into His power."

As Guilliman said these words, Alfreda's image came to mind.

This state bishop was not always like this; in fact, before the day of the coup, she was still an upright, kind, compassionate, and merciful priest-bishop.

It was the power of the Dark Lord that subtly distorted Elfreda, pushing her to the position of Pope.

"No wonder I felt so strange and awkward when I looked at Christine. She is indeed a living saint. She did not lie, but she is the living saint of the Dark Lord."

"The Lord of Darkness is the God of Chaos, and the essence of the God of Chaos is chaos and disorder, which is naturally opposed to reason and order."

"I have added so much rationality to the state religion, it has almost become a reskinned imperial truth, which is undoubtedly disliked by the dark king's will."

When Guilliman thought of this, he felt a little better.

This is not because his religious reforms were ineffective.

In fact, if it weren't for the Dark Lord's interference, the reformed state religion he spearheaded might have actually been able to grow according to the original plan.

But it's no use saying all this now. The existence of the Dark Lord is an objective fact that cannot be changed. What's even more awkward is that control of the religion has already fallen into his hands.

The state religion controlled by the Dark Lord will recklessly create chaos and destruction, even at the cost of its own.

What can cause more destruction than war?
Guilliman had already predicted that the State Church would inevitably gather more civilians, who had not undergone rigorous military training, to participate in the war against the Greenskins.

They are not in it for victory, but simply for destruction. Whether it is destroying the enemy or destroying themselves, it will please the Dark Lord.

What benefits the Dark Lord will inevitably become a weight on the scales, a factor detrimental to the Emperor.

"We must stop the Lord of Darkness and save the Emperor!"

Guilliman growled in a low voice, and everyone felt a deep resonance and power within them.

"The method is simple: what the Dark Lord wants to see is what we must oppose with all our might."

"He wants the state religion to become extremely fanatical, blind, and destructive, so we must restore the state religion and bring it back to rationality, objectivity, and order."

"My previous judgment on the dramatic change in the state religion was wrong. This was not the result of ordinary people fighting for their own power, but a projection of a higher-dimensional game between them."

"This is a war of faith that has broken out within the empire. Although it is invisible, it is even more dangerous."

Upon hearing this, Luo Xi lowered his head and fell into deep thought.

If humanity has made some progress in its war against the Greenskinned Orcs, and continues to advance step by step in this manner, sooner or later the Greenskinned Orcs will be wiped out in the Ghoul Stars.

In this way, the green tide will die prematurely before it reaches its peak.

Given the current size of the empire, as long as the opponent doesn't unleash a cheat-like power spike, crushing an orc empire shouldn't be a problem.

Even if the ancient orcs were incredibly powerful, they would still be limited by the era and circumstances.

If Kirk were surrounded by ancient orc legions that had fought head-on against the Star Gods and the Necromancers during the War of Heaven, then Lothie would immediately order a retreat and begin a war to defend Terra.

"But it was at this very moment that our backyard started to catch fire."

"Could it be that the rollout of the Space Bridge project has made those formidable enemies in the subspace start to panic?"

"Perhaps the Dark Lord's gradual gain of the upper hand in his battle with the Emperor is also related to the influence of the Warp."

“There must be a connection,” Guilliman asserted.

"They absolutely do not want to see us get out of the quagmire and break free from the shackles of the warp; this would be a huge disaster for the warp."

"But we are determined to oppose them. If the Emperor is completely overwhelmed and corrupted by the Dark Lord, it will be a true catastrophe for us humans."

"Don't forget what happened to the Eldar; our fate will only be worse than theirs."

The thought that Holy Terra might become a massive warp rift comparable to the Eye of Terror filled everyone present with a deep sense of dread.

When the starlight is extinguished, the entire galaxy will be plunged into the shadow of chaos.

This must not be allowed to happen. The Emperor's safety is tied to the life and death of all mankind. They will spare no effort to help the Emperor suppress the Dark Lord once again.

"Qile, I will use all available resources to help you."

"Of course, since our main force is busy killing the green-skinned orcs, we certainly can't provide unlimited assistance."

All I can say is that I'll do my best.

Qi Le breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

She also understood that humanity was indeed facing many enemies and troubles, and each one was more difficult than the last.

Since we are going to sit on the throne of galactic overlord, we will naturally have to face the covetous eyes of other competitors, and humanity has no right to refuse the challenge.

"The conflict of faith is an internal contradiction within the empire. What we need is a force that can stand against the state religion that Alfreda currently controls."

"Moreover, the court represented by Judge Carter was willing to support me, which was a tremendous force."

"Based on my speculation, Alfreda now wields considerable influence among the High Lords by controlling the state religion."

"The forces she can mobilize include, but are not limited to, her own combat nuns, as well as the Holy Brotherhood, religious militia, crusaders, and Death Worship assassins belonging to the state church."

"Under her pressure, perhaps a portion of the Imperial Navy's Star Force will obey her will and become our enemy, but the stance and loyalty of these people need to be reassessed."

"Anyone with a sound mind would not want to fight another civil war in the empire, and they are only being assigned and influenced by the state religion, not genuinely wanting to start a war."

Qi Le's reasoned analysis listed all the forces that might be under the control of the state religion.

Which enemies are absolutely loyal, and which enemies can be divided and won over? Only by figuring out these questions can we gain the upper hand in the upcoming battle of faith.

"After all, Elfreda has a living saint, and I am also the Emperor's living saint." "As long as I show my face on the battlefield, there will always be some believers of the state religion who are willing to side with me."

Qi Le was quite confident, after all, she had been the pope of the state religion for over a hundred years and had a high prestige among the believers.

If it weren't for Elfreda having the Dark Lord behind her, who took advantage of her absence from Terra to launch an armed coup, the outcome would likely have been very different.

"That's why we've been protecting Qile all this way," Locke, who had been silent until now, suddenly said.

“She is a banner, the banner of rational faith in the emperor. As long as there are more moderate and rational state religions and believers in those galaxies, they will naturally support us.”

"The conflict of faith is nothing more than a matter of popular support or opposition. Alfreda's cruel rule will inevitably provoke the resentment of the human people."

"After all, most people who believe in emperors are mortals, and mortals, besides their faith, also have their own emotions and desires."

“A devout believer may donate the resources at his disposal to the church when he has met his own needs, in order to prove his piety.”

"But Alfreda clearly wants to collect more tithes, and she demands that other normal people become as fanatical and extreme as she is, which is undoubtedly inhumane."

"After all, if you're struggling to make ends meet, your elderly parents are starving, and your children are crying for food, and then the people of the state religion come to collect taxes..."

"Hmph, how many people in this world would starve themselves to death just to fulfill their beliefs?"

Qi Le smiled. Her understanding of human nature as a mortal was far clearer than that of extraordinary space warriors like Loken.

Selflessness is human nature, and so is selfishness. Human nature is incredibly complex and contradictory, and Alfreda's actions undoubtedly amplify that contradictory side.

As Guilliman listened to Qile's account, his tense brows gradually relaxed.

His main focus now is the war against the Ghoul Stars. When fighting a powerful enemy like the Greenskin Orcs, he is most wary of instability in the rear, or even the situation of fighting on two fronts.

Since this living saint has thought things through so thoroughly, he can delegate authority and save energy by entrusting professional matters to professionals.

All he needed to do was give Qi Le a force that she could command and mobilize, giving her room to use her abilities.

Delegation was a familiar tactic for Guilliman.

Considering that in the current world of Otrama 600, he can completely delegate power to his sons, what is a mere Qile?

Guilliman did not answer Qile immediately, but silently considered the power he could mobilize and analyzed which ones were more suitable for Qile to control.

"Given the current situation, if I were to directly order a unit of Ultramarines to take your orders and openly confront the army sent by the State Church, the consequences would be far too severe."

“Since Loken and Garo are your old friends, and they can represent the Grey Knights, this special Astartes chapter, then why not let the Grey Knights assist you?”

"Elfreda doesn't have any Astartes under her command. The only force stationed on Terra is the Imperial Fist Legion. It's impossible for her to order the Sons of Dorne to work for her own ambitions."

"Even if she forcibly orders the Imperial Fist to attack you in the name of the Emperor, I believe the Seventh Legion will disobey."

"The best choice for you Space Marines is to be a sharp blade that can be used in critical moments, rather than a warhammer to break through obstacles."

Qi Le nodded in agreement. She hadn't expected to be able to command Space Marines to directly attack Terra, unless Terra's state religion deployed Space Marines in advance.

"You can also call upon the resources of the Tribunal; Judge Carter will cooperate with your plan."

Although Judge Carter had come to Qi Le's side on behalf of the court, it was ultimately their own private action.

But now that Guilliman has personally admitted it, Carter can use this as leverage to pressure his dissenting colleagues within the courtroom and gain their support.

Guilliman held the Inquisition in high esteem, after all, when Macardo founded the Inquisition, he entrusted this intelligence organization and secret police to him.

"The court will make the right choice, Lord Guilliman."

"We have upheld the will of the Seal Holder and the Emperor, and for a century we have remained vigilant and dared not relax our guard, in order to prevent corruption from spreading within the empire."

"Although this corruption crisis did not originate from the Four Chaos Gods, we will never tolerate it. On the contrary, we will be more careful and more vigilant."

A flame of ambition flickered in Judge Carter's eyes; she was no ordinary person to have risen to such a prestigious position.

Or to put it another way, those who can make a name for themselves in the courtroom are by no means simple or easy people.

These special beings, though of humble status, possess immense power; the more chaotic the situation, the more unexpected strength they can unleash.

Guilliman was never afraid of his subordinates being ambitious; on the contrary, those who lacked ambition were either incompetent or had hidden ambitions.

“Secondly, there is another important force you can utilize,” Guilliman said slowly, gazing at Qile.

"The Assassin's Court, I have never used this force. These most deadly weapons are only used when they are not used, and when they are used, heads roll and blood flows like rivers."

"I will tell you how to contact those Assassin Court mentors. As long as you can summon and awaken the assassins in the prescribed way, those Assassin Court personnel can be at your disposal."

Guilliman chuckled softly, "Actually, in one of my backup plans, the Assassin's Court is a quick tool I use to clean up the chaos on Terra."

"If my departure can bring out those schemers, then when they think they have the victory in their grasp, the purge of the Assassin's Court will come as scheduled."

"In addition, the most important and largest force."

"The essence of the conflict of faiths is still the confrontation between mortals. I grant you the authority to conscript believers of the state religion throughout the six hundred worlds of Alteramar to form your mortal crusade."

"Furthermore, the religious worlds within my territory can also be used by you. They will not accept unreasonable demands from the state religion of Terra, and your appearance will inevitably make you an object of their support."

"As for the weapons, ammunition, vehicles, warships, and other equipment you need, I will allocate a batch to you. It's not a big problem."

“We, the Lords of the Night, are also willing to lend a helping hand, Your Holiness the Pope.”

Since bringing Qi Le and the Grey Knights to the Midnight Royal Court, Shen has been playing the role of a dutiful listener.

He knew that the main characters of this meeting were the Primarch and the Living Saint, while the Midnight Lord was just a background figure.

However, he only spoke up after Guilliman had finished making all the arrangements.

This way, one can show respect for the Primarch, and the other can make their presence felt in front of Qile, a living saint who has the Primarch's support.

The Legion's unique experiences have made the Night Lords like stray cats picked up from the wild, always lacking a sense of security.

With Guilliman's support, Qile is almost certain to be able to reshape the state religion and set things right in the future.

Shen had no intention of letting go of the opportunity to gain the Pope's friendship by paying a price.

Qi Le readily agreed and thanked Shen and the Midnight Lord for their kindness.

"Alright everyone, now that we've decided on a plan to help the Emperor suppress fanatical faith in the realm of belief, do we have any more practical methods?"

"For example, a method that could directly enhance the Emperor's power, giving him an advantage in the fight against the Dark Lord?" Guilliman said in a deep voice, moving on to the next topic.

This time, even Qi Le was rendered speechless.

The conflict between the Emperor and the Dark Lord involves a struggle between [god-level] beings; what can these mortals possibly do?

Even the Primarchs might not be able to do much more than mortals.

"Those who can intervene must at least be Primarchs who have liberated the essence of the Warp, or race gods like Elsa, the Eldar goddess."

Guilliman instinctively shifted his gaze to Losi, as did the others.

Suddenly, Losi became the focus of everyone's attention.

"Why are you looking at me?" Rosie asked, suddenly flustered.

“My friend, among our group, who else besides you has this ability?” Guilliman said earnestly.

“My father once entrusted the authority and power of Om Messiah to you, and you have now strengthened and advanced this power to an unprecedented level.”

"It can be said that you are the god of all things who walk in the world, and your power is undoubtedly at the [god level]."

"What else can we do besides rely on you? Are we supposed to depend on the gods of our psionic allies?"

Guilliman was also helpless. If it were Ryan, Chagatai, and Ruth, it would be better. These three Primarchs had all awakened their warp nature, which might be of some use.

He himself was a half-baked psionicist. If he hadn't accidentally awakened his psionic power during the Battle of Skullshatterer, he probably would have believed for the rest of his life that he was a pure psionic insulator.

Loshi was speechless, as if that was indeed the case.

But asking him to help the Emperor fight the Dark Lord, I just felt uneasy about it.

“There are two more people who might be able to help,” Losi said, spreading his hands.

“Macado and Constantine Waldo are the Emperor’s closest comrades-in-arms and also insiders of the Dark Lord’s secrets.”

“You once told me that Macado deceived you, leaving you in Terra to take his place and handle those astronomical amounts of government affairs.”

Upon hearing this, Guilliman immediately revealed a gritted-teeth expression.

This isn't over between him and Makado!
Rosie, however, continued thoughtfully.

“I admit that Macardo may indeed be very tired, but that’s definitely not the whole reason. I know him; his sense of responsibility to humanity is even stronger than that of the Emperor himself.”

Back in the late Dark Ages, when Makador was known as Kadur, he led a human rebellion against the fanatical Golden Alliance.

"So you mean he actually left to achieve some other purpose?"

Guilliman was also insightful; he understood things immediately.

"We cannot underestimate the Emperor and Macado's wariness of the Dark Lord."

"After all, we all saw with our own eyes what the Emperor looked like after consuming excessive amounts of warp energy."

"When the Emperor ascended the Golden Throne, he must have left behind a contingency plan that could be used. If he cannot completely suppress the Dark Lord, then the contingency plan will be activated."

"So, based on my guess, it's very likely that Macado and Waldo disappeared without a trace in order to carry out these backup plans."

"The importance of these missions is something that even you, as someone who knows the Dark Lord, cannot comprehend."

Although Guilliman was still indignant, his reason told him that this might be the more reasonable explanation.

If Macardo were to abandon a mountain of problems for mere personal pleasure and indulgence, he wouldn't be the Seal Bearer who would sacrifice everything for humanity.

But where are they now?

“These two guys must have their own channels of information about the Empire; they can’t be unaware of what’s happening on Terra.”

"Compared to us, they should be very aware that this is the summons for the awakening of the Dark Lord's consciousness."

The Primarch frowned immediately. Even so, how were they supposed to find Macado?
In the vast Milky Way, finding the one who has hidden their palm print is harder than climbing to heaven.

Rosie raised her hand, signaling Guilliman not to rush.

"I know you're in a hurry, but don't worry yet."

"Who says we're the only ones in a hurry right now? If I'm not mistaken, Makado and the others are probably even more anxious than we are."

“They were members of the founding team of Emperor. If something really happens to Emperor, they will be even more anxious than we are.”

“Perhaps Makado is on his way here right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if a Palmprinter suddenly jumped out in front of us the next second.”

"Just wait like this?" Guilliman was still a little unwilling; he never liked being passive.

“Besides waiting, what other options do you have?” A smile appeared on Loshi’s lips. “I remember that Makado has a private museum in the palace in Terra.”

"It contains ancient artifacts from the Earth's era—the Mona Lisa's smile and Van Gogh's sunflowers."

If you take them and put them on a fire, threatening to burn them to ashes, you might be able to summon Makado.

Guilliman immediately thought of his uncle's passion for preserving human history, and the thought of Macardo's furious reaction if he burned the two paintings sent a chill down his spine.

"Alright, just kidding to lighten the mood." Rosie patted Guilliman's arm armor. "Don't actually think that way, or I won't be able to protect you either."

"I just want to say that the situation is already like this, and there's no point in making trouble for ourselves."

"We need to hurry up and deal with that Kork orc who has caused such a big problem so that we can free up our energy to deal with the Dark Lord."

"After all, the battle between the Dark Lord and the Emperor cannot be decided in a short time; the process may take at least a thousand years."

Perhaps infected by Roche's optimism, or perhaps Roche's analysis did make some sense, Guilliman, who had been anxious, calmed down.

"In that case, let's do as you say."

“We’ll deal with the greenskinned orcs, and you go deal with the mad state religion,” Guilliman said to the group.

(End of this chapter)