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

Chapter 967 Emperor: Take Me With You

As the last distorted light and shadow of the Eye of Fear completely healed and disappeared under the rule of the real universe, Loshi, sitting on the throne of Kadia, clearly felt an unprecedented change.

The immense suction that constantly drew power from him to resist the subspace erosion and maintain the Cardia defenses suddenly loosened, like a rope being severed.

The nerves that had been taut, as if bearing the weight of the entire galaxy, finally relaxed at this moment.

The throne beneath him, composed of complex machinery and energy pathways, no longer emanated an urgent, almost greedy, sense of desire.

All these changes stem from the fact that the hole in the Milky Way has been filled, and the veil of reality in this region will slowly and steadily return to the same thickness as other regions under the great power of the universe's self-regulation.

The largest and most dangerous springboard for subspace invasion of the real universe has been completely severed at this moment.

An indescribable sense of lightness, mixed with the deep exhaustion after a long battle and the immense relief of final victory, surged through Rosie's body like a tide.

With an almost ritualistic solemnity, he slowly rose from the throne that had bound him for so long, and had also sustained him for so long.

The joints in his body made a soft grinding sound, as if telling the story of the weight of those years.

Almost at the same moment, the Emperor, who was also sitting on a replica of the Golden Throne beside Lothie, stood up. He re-established contact with the God-Emperor in the Warp and learned the good news that the Chaos Gods had decided to give up.

In the Emperor's perception, the originally exceptionally close connection between him and the God Emperor was blocked by a thin membrane. He had to exert more power to break through the barrier and communicate with the God Emperor.

The real universe rejects interference from overly powerful subspace entities, including, of course, the God-Emperor.

Throughout the entire Battle of Cadia, although the God Emperor was never exposed to the world, anyone who knew some of the truth understood that without the God Emperor's frantic restraint behind the four Chaos Gods, the enemy's forces would have been far greater.

Sensing that even the power of the God Emperor was blocked outside the universe, the Emperor felt no anger or displeasure, but rather genuine joy.

Even with the devout faith of countless humans in the Warhammer universe supporting the God-Emperor, he was still blocked from the outside world. So it would be even more difficult for the Chaos Gods, whose foundations have been eradicated and whose followers have been wiped out.

Loxi raised his head, and his gaze met that of the Emperor.

Without a word, and without needing to, a smile slowly appeared on the emperor's weathered face.

Rosie smiled too, her smile even more gentle. The two like-minded comrades looked at each other, as if all their emotions were contained in that smile.

All the hardships and difficulties, all the painstaking efforts, have been rewarded at this moment.

“We did it, Neos.”

Loxi's voice rang directly in the Emperor's ears.

"The Eye of Fear has been closed, the network system spanning the entire galaxy is being rebuilt, and the greatest claws of Chaos have been severed."

We toiled day and night, never daring to slacken for a single day, paying countless sacrifices and costs, all for the goal of ensuring the continuation of human civilization and preventing it from being ravaged by the warp... and today, it has been accomplished.

The Lord of Humanity nodded slightly.

In countless game simulations, he and Macardo searched for a glimmer of hope to break the deadlock.

Even so, the best chance of success in their simulations was only a desperate gamble after grasping at the slim hope of the Netway Project.

That's why they are so obsessed and fanatical about the internet.

However, according to the original course of events, after Magnus destroyed the man-made network, their plan had in fact failed, and all that remained was to prolong their existence and delay the inevitable defeat.

The future we see now is no longer within the future he and Makado predicted, but it surpasses the optimal solution they sought.

"Yes, we did it. The most difficult and darkest step has been taken, and humanity, and many civilizations in this galaxy, have gained a crucial respite and a possibility to look to the future."

As the emperor spoke, his gaze drifted to the more distant starry sky.

"However, our universe is still a considerable distance from truly calm."

"The conflict between the Silent King and the Storm King regarding the future path of their race within the Necromancers will not disappear just because we have banished the influence of the Warp."

"On the contrary, they are likely to regard us as a huge external threat and then play the same trick of shifting the blame again. You know, the Silent King back then shifted the internal conflict of the race onto the Ancient Saints, which led to the disaster of the War of Heaven."

Roche, however, remained optimistic.

"It is true that there are internal conflicts within the Necromancers, but we are not without countermeasures. You must know that Tarasin and the Nihirak dynasty behind him are now tied to our cause."

In the Battle of Qardia, the assists from Talasi and the Nihirak dynasty were arguably the most crucial element.

This does not refer to the World Engine they sent, but rather to the numerous Star God fragments they brought, along with the Burners and Outer Beings they brought along.

Nishirak's patriarch knew that once the Star God fragments were handed over to Tarasin, the man would surely pass them on to humanity.

Knowing this, he still appointed Tarachin as the supreme commander, ignoring General Dai Guan's repeated advice. This was a gesture of goodwill towards humanity. Even if all the Star God fragments remained here, it would still be part of the Emperor's plan.

This remarkably low-profile emperor was well aware of one fact: no matter how many Star God fragments they hoarded, it wouldn't fundamentally change anything; the strength of the Nihirak dynasty remained firmly suppressed by the Szarakan and Sothek dynasties.

However, if these Star God fragments are used at the most crucial moment, they will become a key trump card that can reverse the balance of power between the various dynasties.

Now, Emperor Christophe's investment has paid off. At the very least, Roche, the Burners, and the Outsiders will stand behind Nishirak, deterring all of Nishirak's enemies.

"As long as the Silent King and the Storm King dare to shift the conflict onto us, the external civilizations, we dare to directly support the Nishirak Dynasty and wage war against them simultaneously," Loxi declared proudly.

"At the same time, we can use the power of the AllSpark to give souls to continuously differentiate those who can be won over from within the Necromancer. Once the Necromancer finds that they cannot defeat us decisively, those wavering centrists will soon defect."

"With the full support of the Star God, the Nishirak Dynasty is not afraid of the threats from those powerful dynasties at all. As long as they dare to escalate the war and release the Star God fragments onto the battlefield, I dare to liberate them all and bring them to our side."

Hearing Rosie's prepared reply, the Emperor merely gave a strange smile.

"Besides the trouble caused by the space undead within the Milky Way, there is also the eternally hungry Tyranid fleet in the endless dark region of the extragalactic galaxy."

“I observed their existence on the timeline, and the huge commotion we’ve created in Cardia is accelerating their approach to the Milky Way.”

Both the Emperor and Roxi are able to freely observe the future through the timeline.

They were naturally aware of those enemies who were originally active in the galaxy only forty millennia ago.

The Tyranids are a formidable adversary. No one knows where they originated, only that they have already devoured the civilizations of more than one galaxy and are now heading towards the Milky Way.

For the Warhammer universe, which was largely destroyed by war, its still stable structure consists only of the Milky Way and a few surrounding galaxies.

It's like a puddle that's constantly drying up and about to reveal its bottom, where the remaining creatures are forced to huddle together and fight for living space.

The Tyranids are even more unreasonable than the demons of the subspace. They are not weakened by the veil, and their endless devouring desires will turn them into tireless war machines, not stopping until they have turned all the life in the entire galaxy into their nourishment.

"The Tyranids are indeed terrifying, but we also have our own ways of dealing with them."

"The green-skinned orcs led by Vulcan are also extremely adept at attrition warfare through mass troop buildup. The orcs appearing on the battlefield of Kadia have not yet reached their full potential. As long as we are willing to invest resources, the orcs' combat power will expand exponentially."

"Moreover, relying on dimensional technology, we can purposefully create several smaller universes with faster time flow, and then prepare all the conditions needed for the green-skinned orcs to reproduce and expand within these smaller universes."

“Sufficient sunlight, enough land and nutrients, and an abundance of waaagh energy can all be intervened through external means.”

"Imagine these miniature universes becoming the exclusive weapons for the green-skinned orcs to mass produce troops. I don't believe the Tyranids can reproduce faster than that."

The light in the emperor's eyes grew brighter, causing Loxi to feel a chill creeping through her.

"My friend, the troubles that humanity will face in the future are not only external threats, but also the reconstruction of the galactic order after victory."

Among humans, Eldar, Orcs, and our undead allies in space, a division of spheres of influence and interests is inevitable. Improper division could easily lead to internal conflicts.

Listening to the Emperor's analysis, Loxi suddenly realized that the old fox Neos was trying to shift the blame again.

As soon as he stared at her, Luo Xi realized something was wrong.

"You're right, the road ahead is still long and there are still many challenges, but my mission is complete."

Loxi stretched his body, which hadn't truly relaxed in a long time. All he wanted to do now was clear his mind and not think about anything.

"The rest, such as diplomatic maneuvering and the distribution of benefits among allies, and jointly dealing with new external threats, can be left to Guilliman, to Vulcan, to Lane, to those Primarchs who have grown up and the new generation of leaders, who have proven their ability and responsibility."

The emperor, however, had a different view.

"Yes, I acknowledge that they have grown a lot, but they still need a leader of sufficient stature to provide help and guidance at critical moments."

“But the best candidate for the person you’re talking about is yourself, Neos. The identity of ‘Lord of Humanity’ that you created for yourself is for this very purpose.”

"I have already given enough; since I woke up, I have hardly had a moment's rest."

I've finished dealing with things in the Warhammer universe, but I still have to go to other universes to keep busy. I've really had enough.

In order to achieve victory, I had to navigate between various races, maintain the stability of the alliance, and even appease the fragments of the Star Gods…”

Loshi pointed to the outer being who remained still in the Cardia system, suppressing the mad light emanating from him.

"Especially that big guy, it will take me a long time to slowly pry out those unfortunate Star God fragments that were swallowed from its body." "I need a vacation, a vacation without a time limit, a real vacation, to relax my old bones, and by the way... um, to go to some corner of the universe and quietly appreciate the starry sky that we have protected with our own hands."

The Emperor listened quietly to Rosie's complaints and prospects. Instead of being displeased, his majestic face revealed an even more meaningful smile.

He looked at Rose as if he were looking at an old friend who had finally learned to be willful.

"Take me with you." The Emperor's thoughts came through, simple and direct, yet they startled even Luo Xi.

"What?" Losi almost thought he had misjudged the situation. He thought that the old man Neos still wanted to persuade him and help him take the pressure.

"I said, include me," the Emperor repeated, a hint of cunning flashing in his golden eyes.

"Do you think you're the only one who needs a vacation? From the moment I was born until the end of the dark age of technology, I've always maintained a 'playing the game' attitude towards life."

Although Rossi had heard these stories more than once, he still felt embarrassed and scratched his toes when he heard the emperor describe in person how he became the "she-wolf" who nurtured Roman civilization.

"After meeting Makado, I was persuaded by him to do everything I could to become an Emperor and take on the responsibility of continuing human civilization... I'm exhausted."

"Since you say that the most difficult task has been completed, then I, as the Lord of Humanity, can temporarily hand over my responsibilities in some aspects."

"That boy Guilliman has managed the Empire well; it's time for him to take on more comprehensive responsibilities."

"Make Guilliman regent, make Lane the commander of the empire, and give each Primarch a sufficiently important task, and I can be freed up."

The emperor paused, and a sense of languor and relaxation began to creep into his tone, as if he had transformed from the high and mighty ruler of humanity back into the original Neos.

"I also want to see what this galaxy, which we have paid so much to protect, looks like now."

No need to look through the lens of faith, no need to consider strategic planning, just... simply observe.

Loxi paused for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter that echoed through the vast hall, dispelling the last trace of the tense atmosphere.

"Hahahaha... Good! Good! Let's go together! Let's go together!" Rose laughed so hard that tears almost streamed down her face.

Even after spending so much time with Neos, he almost got caught up in it.

He said all that, but he didn't actually want to keep Rose on the chair of responsibility and make her shine.

What he wanted to hear was that Rosie had the same idea of ​​quitting and a perfectly valid reason, but instead he simply took advantage of the situation, used those reasons for himself, and shut Rosie up.

After all, that's what Roxi himself thought, so how could he continue to argue that the Emperor should stay and guard the empire?

With the unspoken "escape agreement" between Loxi and the Emperor being reached silently, the smoke of war that had permeated the Cardia star system began to gradually dissipate.

The allied forces did not bask in the joy of victory for long; the post-war cleanup and restoration of order also required a great deal of effort and time.

……

"The war is over. The Emperor has conveyed his will to me: all Space Marine legions and Imperial Navy forces assembled in Cardia may now be disbanded and return to their original locations."

"The follow-up work on compensation and relief needs to be carried out simultaneously. We must never let those heroes who shed blood for humanity continue to shed tears."

Ryan Johnson, the First Legion Primarch known for his rigor and ruthlessness, finally felt the heavy responsibility on his shoulders begin to ease.

He stood atop the platform of the Battle Planet Command Dome, while Luther appeared like a shadow beside the Lion King.

"That's natural. Lord Guilliman has already sent word that he has already coordinated with the State Church and selected a star system in the Solar Region to be transformed into a cluster of cemetery worlds to house the remains of heroes."

"This world cluster is very close to Holy Terra, ensuring that the heroes buried here will always be illuminated by the starlight."

Ryan nodded slightly upon hearing this. Entrusting such trivial matters to Guilliman was indeed the best solution. Although his Macurag brothers were not very good at warfare, they were practically perfect in handling domestic affairs and logistics.

"In this brutal war, 140,000 dark angels gave their last loyalty to the Emperor and humanity. Should their burial places be chosen again?" Luther asked the Lion King.

Luther seemed to pause for a moment when he saw Ryan's body, then silently uttered a number.

"145,377, Luther, this is the number of soldiers confirmed dead or missing in the First Legion."

Ryan could recall the names and faces of the fallen dark angels in his mind; the Legion Lord had never forgotten them.

Although the Dark Angels always walk in the shadows, performing secret missions for the Emperor that cannot be made public, and whose secrets cannot be revealed even after death, and who cannot be remembered by anyone, Ryan still remembers them.

Since the world cannot remember, let this original gene remember.

"Those fallen dark angels don't need to be sent to the cemetery world; I think they would prefer to have their remains buried on Caliban."

"Caliban is both our legionary fortress and our sacred star, so we place all their ashes in the original legionary monastery of Caliban, where they will be worshipped and revered by those who come after them."

Luther mentally recorded all this information. As the person in charge of logistics for the First Legion, he was even more aware of the First Legion's losses than Ryan himself.

Because the Dark Angels were always at the forefront of the war, they suffered the heaviest blows, and the legion was even on the verge of annihilation.

Luther was prepared to die alongside the Legion, but the situation changed much faster than he expected, and the arrival of allies directly helped the Dark Angels escape from their predicament.

At least for now, Luther is much more friendly towards the Eldar, the green-skinned orcs, and even the space undead.

"Did the Emperor tell you what changes or arrangements would be made for you after the war?"

"After all, the war is over. Your power is too great, which is a hidden danger to the smooth operation of the entire empire."

Luther was far more politically astute than Lane, and he knew that Lane's power at this moment was even greater than that of Horus Lupecal during the Great Crusade.

However, Ryan remained silent for a few seconds before slowly answering Luther's question.

"No, the Emperor has not revoked my appointment as 'Imperial Commander.' Although he has ordered Astartes legions such as Space Wolves, Raven Guards, and Iron Hands to return to their fiefdoms to recuperate, theoretically, I still have the right to summon them all to participate in the war."

Upon hearing this, Luther fell into deep thought, and then gave an affirmative answer.

"The Emperor is planning to completely relinquish power. He is handing over military power to you and administrative power to Guilliman. Your other brothers will probably also receive some power. As long as you exist, you can maintain the operation of the Empire and humanity."

"He didn't rescind your appointment because we haven't finished all the tough battles yet. There may be even more difficult enemies to deal with in the future."

Ryan knew of the existence of the multiverse, and he also knew that Conrad and Sanguis, who had disappeared long ago, were actually fighting an unknown enemy in a place outside the universe.

His retention of the appointment as Imperial Commander naturally meant that he would stay with Guilliman to fill the vacancy left by the Emperor's passing.

In contrast, Ryan would actually prefer to explore beyond the universe, but since the Emperor's will is so, he will unconditionally obey and persevere.

In Ryan's view, with the Empire's current strength as a backing, it wouldn't be an impossible task to slaughter all of humanity's enemies.

Once he has humanely eliminated all his enemies, he can naturally relinquish his position as commander-in-chief of the empire and follow in the footsteps of the emperor.

Luther suddenly sensed a chilling killing intent emanating from Ryan, and immediately realized that his son was once again harboring murderous thoughts.

However, he had no objection to this. As the Primarch's adoptive father, his job was to help Ryan sharpen his blade so that he could hunt down enemies more decisively.

"The Emperor also instructed me to use Kadia as the center to carefully examine every inch of the starry sky that had been trampled by demons, and to purify every planet that might still have warp contamination."

"I must ensure that this area, where the Eye of Fear once existed, does not become a breeding ground for new chaos."

"And after it's cleaned up? Return this starry sky to the Eldar?"

Luther's gaze gradually lengthened, and at the end of his vision, he could still see the massive arks of the Eldar converging, like a pod of deep-sea whales.

“Indeed, the core of the Eye of Fear was originally the capital of the Spirit Empire, where they lived for tens of millions of years.” Ryan also felt a little sentimental, never expecting that one day he would be helping a group of aliens clean up the battlefield.

"As Slaanesh was awakened by the corruption of the Ancient Eldar, the Dark Prince's first cry tore open the rift that the Old Ones had opened at the core of the Eye of Terror, which was also the beginning of the destruction of that vast empire."

"The Eldar prophet named Uslan believes that if the Eldar want to unite again, they must reclaim their former capital and homeworld."

"Just as humanity can only maintain the integrity of its race by protecting Terra, the Eldar, having lost their homeworld, can only gradually split apart and decline."

“That Ada is one of the few wise men among their race. Without her, our desire to unite would probably still be an unrealistic fantasy.”

Luther had a good impression of Uslan, perhaps because they always played the role of the worrying party, and the people they worried about were often unreliable.

"According to the agreement between the Emperor and the Eldar, they can obtain the territory within the original core area of ​​the Eye of Terror, which is roughly the size of three or four star systems. After all, the current number of Eldar doesn't actually require a large territory."

"And they can also freely enter and exit the network channel, traveling through the galaxy via this faster-than-light channel hidden in the cosmic crevice."

“However, Kadia is still in our hands. It’s too close to our Dark Angels’ stronghold. I can’t hand over this important fortress world to the Eldar.”

Ryan is still Ryan; he remains vigilant.

“It seems we’ll be living as neighbors with these Eldar for quite some time,” Luther chuckled.

"As long as they behave themselves and don't cause any more trouble like before, I can tolerate their existence," Ryan sneered.

(End of this chapter)