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

Chapter 853 The Second Bleeding and the Secret of the Hydra
"Forgive my bluntness, but we can't keep this from the Pope for long. Elfreda herself came to power through a coup, and she knows all too well how to prevent others from doing the same thing."

"So what do you want? The die is cast, there's no going back. The moment you stepped into this meeting room and began talking to us, you became a member of the Pope's purge list."

In Holy Terra, in a safe underground house far from the state church, a secret meeting is underway.

After entering the secret underground safe house, the participants took off their disguises and revealed their true identities.

These people are all high-ranking members of the current state church of Terra, most of whom are bishops who were re-promoted and promoted after Elfreda ascended to the papacy.

However, they are no longer as arrogant as they used to be; they all look as wilted as eggplants.

They stripped off their gorgeous and expensive robes and put on the cheapest linen clothes, while also removing the ceremonial items that signified their status and position.

Even while waiting for other participants to arrive, many people were unwilling to let this brief time pass by, still holding their well-worn copies of the Emperor's Words, constantly praying and talking to themselves.

It's as if doing this allows them to sever ties with their past selves who were indulging in pleasure, attacking each other, and indulging in extravagance and corruption.

They were all incredibly shrewd, able to quickly seize high positions after Alfreda came to power. They were masters at understanding the intentions of those in power, but they were also incredibly adept at changing their stance when things went wrong.

These bureaucrats not only existed extensively in other government departments of the empire, but also began to proliferate rapidly within the state church after the current pope came to power.

These bishops, who had already sensed that the situation was turning against them, gathered together precisely to seek self-preservation.

"Elfreda is no match for Qile. As soon as the Alliance of Light reaches Terra, those who harbor resentment will immediately rise up in response."

"Do you think the Cult of Mechanics, the Imperial Fist, and those suppressed High Lords will be on which side at that time?"

"With Guilliman and the others supporting Qile, what will we use to stop so many Astartes Legions if they attack Terra again?"

"This time, no Astartes will defend Terra, and no reinforcements will come from halfway across the galaxy."

At the conference table, a bishop who looked old and had neatly combed silver hair spoke in a deep voice.

His face looked grim as he stared at the representatives who were representing his bishop.

"Why is it that the important matters we are discussing here are attended by you servants? Have your masters become so afraid to even attend in person?"

The old bishop's question immediately made those people look embarrassed.

“Bishop Harry Brunson, if so many bishops disappear at the same time, isn’t that a warning to the Pope?”

"Our master did this for the benefit of everyone."

"You don't want the Pope to find out and then send people to clean it up, do you?"

Hearing their answers, Bishop Bronson snorted coldly and didn't pursue the matter any further.

Normally, the mere fact that these people sent servants to attend the meeting would be enough to enrage him.

But now, even if Bishop Bronson is unhappy, he has to consider the bigger picture.

With the edifice crumbling, those who did not want to perish with the state religion of Terra had no choice but to unite and pool all their strength to seek a breakthrough.

Of course, their so-called breakthrough is actually just a last-minute defection and a change of allegiance.

Loyalty and betrayal are choices they can make flexibly.

If they could launch an armed coup before the Alliance of Light arrived in Terra, capturing or killing Elfreda and replicating the Pope's "feat," then their dilemma would naturally be resolved.

At the heart of the Terran state religion are Elfreda and the living saint Christine, a mother and daughter duo who hold almost all the power and possess incredible and supreme authority in the sacred Terra at this moment.

However, these high-ranking members of the state religion also learned about the fate of the Dimanmar system through various channels: a terrifying subspace storm swept through Dimanmar and the nearby system, but Qi Le still led the Light Alliance to fight their way out.

Within the state religion, there is even a saying that goes like this:
The State Church of Terra has now lost the Emperor's protection, so when the State Church's Judgment Fleet headed for Demanmar, the Emperor unleashed his wrath, unleashing a warp storm that tore the State Church's fleet apart.

This subspace storm is the embodiment of "Emperor's Wrath".

The Alliance of Light, unharmed, is naturally the one truly favored by the Emperor.

If this inference holds true, then Elfreda's previous claim that Qile had turned away from the Emperor and become a heretic and rebel against the state religion is undoubtedly a complete lie!

For these opportunists, whether this was a lie or not was irrelevant if Alfreda could continue to control the state church.

As long as they hold power and their positions are secure, who cares about these things?
But now, Qi Le is about to stage a triumphant return, so they have to take it seriously.

When Qile fled alone to Macurag seeking Guilliman's protection, their attitude was:
Heretics from Macurag are conspiring to launch a counterattack on Terra.

When the various Astartes legions, led by Guilliman, jointly expressed their support, their stance was:
The despicable and shameless Qile bewitched the Primarch, gaining the support and trust of the Astartes Legion.

After the Battle of Demanmar, the Crusader troops dispatched by the Cult of Terra disappeared without a trace. Warp storms raged, and Qile's Alliance of Light escaped with minimal impact, reaching Terra with a mere glimpse of their attitude:
The true Pope of the State Religion, the Emperor and the Living Saint, is arriving in his faithful Terra.

They used to follow Elfreda and cheer her on, desperately trying to suppress Qile's influence. But that doesn't stop them from now on siding with Qile and plotting to reduce trouble for the true chosen emperor.

They can be loyal, and they can become members of the Alliance of Light.

"As long as we can bring down Alfreda, we can at least stay within the State Church."

"Qile still needs us to help her manage the state religion. No matter who becomes the pope, our position will be as solid as a rock."

“In fact, if we can handle it properly, this could even be an opportunity.”

"So, let's make a decision now."

Bishop Bronson slowly stood up, placing his hands on the conference table, exuding a powerful aura of dominance, like an aged lion.

“Those who agree to this plan, raise your right hand.”

Those who oppose this plan should remain silent.

The bishop's gaze swept over the crowd, and immediately some people began to respond.

However, some remained hesitant, having witnessed Alfreda wield the sword to purge the opposition within the Church of Judgment.

The burning stakes in the trial square have never been quelled; many of those so-called "heretics" were simply members of the state religion who disagreed with each other.

They harbored an instinctive fear of Elfreda, but the betrayal of the gentle and approachable Qile relieved them of this psychological burden.

As the senior members of the Church of England split into two factions in the conference room, those who supported Bishop Bronson immediately began to glare fiercely at those who had not yet expressed their opinions.

They have never been good people either. If these people choose to remain neutral, who knows if they will turn around and betray us again, and go directly to the Pope to complain?

From now on, there are no neutral factions; everyone except allies is an enemy.

Under the pressure of those fierce and predatory gazes, even the hesitant representatives of the state religion gritted their teeth and raised their right hands.

They knew that if they didn't take a stand, they would likely not leave this meeting room alive.

“In that case, we must hurry and avoid any unforeseen complications.” The bishop’s voice was hoarse with a hint of relief, and the tense muscles in his cheeks finally relaxed a little.

"The plan is set, the uprising is decided. Next, we need to assign tasks, control key points, find Elfreda's weaknesses... and, when necessary, raise the sword."

The bishop then gave orders, and he felt a surge of excitement coursing through his chest.

Once he overthrows Alfreda and expresses his loyalty to Qile, he might be able to take another step forward.

However, just as he was about to begin outlining specific actions...

"boom!!!"

A deafening explosion shattered the heavy, concealed alloy door of the basement, which was supposed to keep out all prying eyes. It twisted and deformed as if it had been hit head-on by a battering ram, and burst open violently inward.

The ear-piercing sound of metal tearing and the flying sparks instantly shattered the exciting atmosphere in the room.

The metal door, torn apart by the molten metal bomb, spewed out countless jets of ultra-high-temperature metal, instantly riddling several high-ranking members of the state religion who were near the door with holes.

In the face of such horrific carnage, frail flesh and blood are no different from paper.

Terrified screams echoed through the smoke-filled room.

Bishop Bronson stood frozen in place, a shard of metal tearing his right cheek apart, blood gushing out, yet he showed no reaction.

Several tall, imposing figures clad in jet-black power armor strode into the room like death angels emerging from hell.

Their movements were swift, precise, and perfectly synchronized, exuding an inhuman sense of power and absolute oppression.

The powered armor joints emitted a low hum, and the servo system roared in the silence.

The scarlet goggles on the leader's helmet, like congealed blood, coldly swept across every horrified face in the room.

"Oh no, oh no, they're here..."

Bishop Bronson finally snapped out of his daze and recognized the men.

The battle nuns, and the most fanatical and ruthless "Order of Annihilation" directly under Pope Elfreda.

“No…impossible…” Bishop Bronson’s face drained of color instantly, his lips trembling, and he could only manage to utter these few words.

The others seemed frozen in place, their sacred texts falling to the ground with a thud, their cheap linen robes unable to conceal their trembling.

The servants who came in place of their masters collapsed to the ground, whimpering in despair.

However, they were absolutely loyal to their master, and even though they were afraid, they immediately used their backup plan to commit suicide in front of the fighting nun.

Once they are dead, the mastermind behind them will have the opportunity to extricate himself from this matter.

But how could their movements be faster than the combat nuns who train hard every day, have developed their physical potential to the limit of human beings, and have the amplification of power armor?

Several combat nuns immediately rushed forward and mercilessly broke all their limbs, causing the biological poison they were holding to fall to the ground and shatter into pieces.

The leading battle nun commander bore the holy seal symbolizing the authority of the Pope on her shoulder armor. Without uttering any superfluous words, she simply raised a hand encased in a mithril gauntlet and made a concise yet deadly gesture.

"Bang!" Another loud noise rang out, and two more nuns pulled over a heavy fire door, using their brute force to block it from the blown-open doorway.

The heavy metal anchor bolts fell with a dull thud, like a coffin lid closing, turning the entire basement into a completely isolated cage.

"What, what do you want to do!" A younger bishop tried to back away in terror, knocking over his chair.

"I am the state bishop, how dare you fighting nuns lay a hand on us!"

"This is insubordination!"

However, this kind of oppressive power meant nothing to the fighting nun.

They obey only the will of the Holy Emperor, namely the orders of Pope Alfreda.

"Silence, heretics!" The battle nun commander's voice came through the helmet's loudspeaker, devoid of any emotion.

“You gathered here to plot a rebellion, and everything has been exposed. This is an unforgivable crime!”

"On behalf of the Pope, I will judge and punish you."

"No! We are, we are advising His Holiness the Pope. The traitor Qile's Alliance of Light is coming soon, and we must take countermeasures." Someone tried to defend himself, his voice filled with a pathetic sob.

"That's a lie!" the battle nun commander interrupted sharply. "You filthy and corrupt scoundrels, do you really think you're hiding yourselves so well? The Pope has long seen through your sinister intentions; she's just letting you run rampant so she can gather you all together and wipe you out in one fell swoop."

"For the God Emperor, for the Golden Throne!" The battle nuns behind her roared in unison, their voices echoing in the confined space, filled with fanatical killing intent.

The chainsaw sword's engine roared bloodthirstyly, the pungent smell of promethium fuel filled everyone's nostrils, and the muzzle of the bomb gun flashed a cross-shaped flash in the dim light.

The battle nuns skipped the pointless trial process and went straight into a killing spree.

Their movements were so precise and efficient, with a cold, almost religious beauty.

The roar of the chainsaw sword became the only background music in the room, drowning out the desperate screams of these big shots, their futile resistance, and the terrifying sounds of bones and flesh being torn apart.

A bishop who tried to hide under a table was lifted up by a fighting nun with one hand, easily lifting a chicken or duck that was about to be slaughtered.

The bishop had not completely given up her will to live; she tried to use words to awaken any possible mercy in the fighting nun before her.

But unfortunately, there was no mercy.

The chainsaw sword sliced ​​through his neck without resistance, its monomolecular serrations tearing through flesh, trachea, and cervical vertebrae. The gushing blood stained the ceiling and the imperial statues hanging on the walls.

Another bishop, fueled by fear, mustered his last bit of courage and swung his heavy candlestick at a fighting nun, only to be easily deflected by her chainsaw sword.

Then, the fighting nun delivered a simple, powerful straight punch that shattered his chest and spine.

As for Bishop Bronson, who was issuing the orders, he only saw a flash of cold light before the world began to spin.

The last thing he saw was his headless body lunging forward a few steps, blood gushing out like a fountain, but collapsing to the ground a few seconds later.

The power sword in the hands of the battle nun commander was spotless, not stained with a drop of blood.

This was a massacre with no suspense; the battle nuns purged all the attendees, regardless of their status or background.

The battle nuns stopped, their power armor splattered with blood and bits of flesh, and then silently began to clean up the scene—precisely severing the heads of each corpse.

The emperor's daughters skillfully threaded thick iron chains through the jaws or eye sockets of heads, like hunters stringing together the heads of their prey.

The clanging of the chains produced a cold, crisp sound that was particularly jarring in the deathly silent room.

The leading nun commander gave the bloody slaughterhouse one last look, and after confirming that nothing was missed, she walked to the locked fire door, extended her blood-stained gauntlet, and pulled open the heavy bolt.

The cold wind from outside rushed into the basement, diluting some of the nauseating stench of blood.

A few hours later, when the group of battle nuns, who looked as if they had returned from hell, reappeared, they were already in a solemn corridor leading to the core area of ​​the State Church Temple.

The spoils they dragged in their hands instantly terrified all the low-ranking priests and servants who were passing by.

A string of distorted heads dragged across the ground, thick blood staining the gleaming floor tiles from the severed necks.

The gruesome bloodstains, like silent thunder, proclaimed the Pope's unwavering resolve against any who dared to betray him.

This shocking news spread like wildfire throughout the upper echelons of the Terra State Church in a very short time.

Those bishops who had been tempted but had refrained from attending due to caution immediately extinguished all their ulterior motives.

Inside the prayer hall, Alfreda once again received the elder sister she trusted.

The tall, battle-hardened nun dragged a string of traitorous heads and knelt respectfully on one knee before the Pope.

"We have fulfilled our mission. We have beheaded all the traitors and presented them to the Pope for review."

Elfreda nodded in satisfaction, then waved her hand, signaling the nun to stand up and speak on equal terms.

"Alright, these wavering traitors are not worth our time. We have more important things to do."

The Pope spoke softly, while the Battle Sister listened quietly, without expressing any personal emotion.

These battle nuns, arguably the strongest mortal warriors, had forged themselves into ruthless weapons from a young age, all in order to carry out the Emperor's will and commands.

"Qi Le's Light Alliance is coming soon, and Terra's current strength is insufficient to stop them."

"Even if we can use the palace as a shield to constantly restrain and hinder their attack, it will only be a delaying tactic."

"And if the situation becomes deadlocked, they will inevitably send in the Astartes. These angels of death will easily tear through our defenses and then take my head off."

The battle nun immediately placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and solemnly assured them:
"The Battle Sisters will fight to the last man. Unless we are all killed, these rebels will not come before you."

The Pope knew that the nun before him was not exaggerating; she was absolutely capable of keeping her word.

But Alfreda slowly shook her head.

"I am not important, nor is the entire Terra State Religion. Our only purpose in existence is to serve the God-Emperor."

"If Qi Le arrives at the palace, the first thing they will do is to completely lock down the emperor's divine side."

"They will kill the God-Emperor, or plunge Him into an endless slumber."

The battle nun's mind went blank for a moment; she didn't quite understand what the Pope meant.

In the nuns' view, the emperor was the same as the divine emperor; it was just a difference in how they, as believers in the emperor, addressed him.

But judging from the Pope's words, the Emperor and the God Emperor seem to be two separate entities.
The battle nun immediately cleared the blasphemous thought from her mind and repeatedly confessed to the God-Emperor that she should never have had any doubts or wavering thoughts.

"Then what should we do?"

The fighting nun is clearly better at using her muscles than her brain.

They don't need to think about the underlying logic; they just need the Pope to tell them what to do.

"Qi Le has the backing of the Astartes Legion, which is a problem we must solve," the Pope said.

“But…” the nun’s voice was hesitant.

"Excuse my bluntness, sir, we cannot negate the other side's advantage."

“Even if the Imperial Guards were all on our side, it wouldn’t work. The Ten Thousand Cavalry Regiment itself suffered heavy casualties in that rebellion and has not yet recovered to its full strength.”

"Moreover, the Imperial Guard is an elite force. Sending them to fill the gaps and fight against the Astartes Legion's artillery fire would only send them to their deaths in vain."

Although the Battle Nun is fanatical, she is not without brains.

Moreover, does the state religion really have such great power to command the Imperial Guards?

Unless Qile's Alliance of Light is aiming to kill the Emperor, the Imperial Guard will fight to the last drop of blood to protect the Golden Throne.

"I will tell the Imperial Guards that Qi Le's arrival will have a negative impact on the Emperor."

“Although the Imperial Guard may not trust my account, it is at least a possibility,” Elfrieda said.

Now that Christine is gone, it is almost impossible for her to control the Imperial Guard again by using the Emperor's "appearance".

"What do you mean?"

"My point is simple: Qile has the Astartes Legion backing her up, but we're not without our own support either."

Elfreda smiled mysteriously, then led the battle nun into a more secluded room, shielded from all prying eyes by psychic energy.

"What I'm about to tell you might make you very uncomfortable."

“But I still hope you can remain calm, Sister. Everything we do is for the God-Emperor.”

"Under this premise, it is not entirely impossible to make some concessions and compromises at times."

The nun suddenly felt uneasy; she had a vague sense of foreboding that she might know secrets the Pope had never revealed to outsiders.

"Do you know which legion was the most mysterious and unknown during the Horus Rebellion?"

Instead of directly stating the answer, the Pope posed a question that was not particularly difficult.

The empire actually adopted a downplaying attitude towards that period of history.

In many instances, when discussing those traitorous Legions and Primarchs, the Empire does not elaborate on their origins and backgrounds, but rather uses vague language to describe them.

A century has passed, and many of the younger generation have an extremely broad and vague understanding of that period of history.

They may know of a legion's betrayal, but they know nothing about it except the legion's codename and name.

However, as the state religion's armed force, the Battle Sisters, when strengthening their faith, would focus on instilling hatred in those who had betrayed them.

"Horus, the leader of the rebellion, commanded a total of nine Astartes Legions, but the Midnight Lord of the Eighth Legion chose to defect and pledge allegiance to the Emperor again during the middle of the war."

"Therefore, the most mysterious and unknown one should be the 20th Legion."

"Alpha Legion".

The Pope nodded slowly, and then she continued to recount the secret.

"Alpha, Hydra, it's hard to tell who's loyal and who's treacherous."

"Their stance was ambiguous during that period of war, sometimes choosing to help Horus and sometimes choosing to help the Empire, thus demonstrating their indirect loyalty."

"No one can figure out what they are thinking, nor do they know which of their twin Primarchs chose betrayal and which chose loyalty."

"Many people didn't even know until the end of the rebellion that the Twentieth Legion's two Primarchs were named Alpharis and Omega."

"According to Imperial records, Alpharis was killed by Roger Dorn in Hydra Fortress on Pluto, while Omega disappeared after that, presumably dead."

As the Pope gradually steered the conversation toward the Alpha Legion, a terrible thought arose in the nun's mind.

Could the Pope's statement "we also have" refer to the 20th Legion, which has betrayed us?

"This, this, this is impossible!"

The nun exclaimed in surprise.

"Nothing is impossible. The Twentieth Legion did betray us, but their betrayal was not a blind and ignorant choice, but a wise move after careful consideration."

"The Alpha Legion has never betrayed us. Some of the Space Marines may have been misled by a lack of information and actually believed that the Legion was on Horus's side, but their Primarchs have always been loyal."

"However, the object of their loyalty is different from that of other Primarchs."

A coldness emanated from Elfreda that made people instinctively uncomfortable.

In an instant, it was as if all human emotions had been stripped away from her, leaving only utter stillness and unfathomable darkness.

The nun once thought she was fearless, but now she realized that she was not as brave as she had imagined.

“Behind Hydra, there is always endless darkness,” Elfrieda said softly.

(End of this chapter)