Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 476 Should He Shoulder the Heavy Responsibility?
"Are you criticizing my strategy for being too conservative?" Faced with Hathor's sharp questioning and enumeration of the pros and cons, Chen Xi's voice remained unusually calm, showing no anger whatsoever despite the harsh accusation.

Hathor's apocalyptic visions and those breathtaking prophetic fragments were more real than anyone else's.

It wasn't that he was unwilling to take responsibility, but rather that he deeply felt his own strength was insufficient and his abilities were inadequate.

From an ordinary governor who could only manage one planet at the beginning, to now barely managing to keep a subsector running despite his best efforts, this is the limit of his abilities.

Shouldering the heavy responsibility of protecting the entire empire? Even Guilliman, the Primarch who awoke from his long slumber, felt utterly desperate about such a responsibility, which caused his hair to turn gray prematurely.

How could he, a mere mortal governor, dare to lightly accept such an unimaginable burden?
“Using ‘conservative’ might not be entirely accurate. You previously chose a more secure path to survival, prioritizing self-preservation in the face of towering waves. This is a natural reaction of mortals in the face of disaster, and there is nothing wrong with it.” Hathor did not criticize Chen Xi here.

But then, her words, sharp as a sword, went straight to the heart of the matter: "However, the power you wield now is vastly different from what it once was! Unfortunately, it is precisely your excessive caution that has obscured your assessment of your own strength."

Please calmly assess the power you possess: millions of Astral Army warriors, tens of millions of fully equipped auxiliary troops, and thousands of Astartes who could move any Chapter Master.

Such a force far exceeds the limits of the Holy Scripture, and its size is comparable to a small expeditionary legion.

Not to mention your strategic alliance network closely linked to numerous Space Marine chapters, and the strategic armaments soon to be mass-produced—such as the Saturn Terminator power armor, imbued with ancient glory and destructive power.

Your Excellency Chen Xi, please recognize reality: the power you possess at this moment, even in the context of the Great Expedition of the Star Conquest, is enough for me, or any of my brothers, to build a main expeditionary fleet with you as the core and devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the great cause of territorial expansion.

Even when many of your brothers first returned to the Emperor's command, the combined strength of their legions might not have surpassed the scale you command today.

"Do you... expect me to step forward now and take on all of this?" Chen Xi's voice was unusually tinged with confusion, and even more so with a deep, indescribable, heavy fear.

He wasn't unaware of where the obvious answer was headed.

However, the few words "stepping forward" carry an unimaginable, suffocating weight—a supreme responsibility that would exhaust even the most powerful genetic entity over time, leaving it with gray hair.

Could a governor, whose essence was still confined to a mortal body, truly bear such a heavy burden?

“No one is ever born knowing how to bear the responsibility for the survival of an entire civilization. Even the Primarchs standing atop the stars, their wisdom and sense of duty were forged in the crucible of endless war and under the immense pressure of responsibility.” Hathor’s tone softened with a touch of comforting warmth, but his core belief remained as unyielding as an ancient rock. “Besides, you are not alone in facing this dark depths.”

Have you not realized that you wield supreme authority, a power sufficient to command 'us' to step into this torrent of destiny?

I stand beside you now, and in the future, many more brothers will answer your call, stand with you, and share this destiny that belongs to all mankind.

Could it be... that what you fear is that one day you will follow in 'that person's' footsteps? Is it the fear that you too will be imprisoned on that eternal, dazzling yet cold throne of light?

"'Step into his path'?" The moment this possibility was clearly laid bare, Chen Xi almost instinctively shook his head violently, a complex smile, a mixture of bitterness and absolute resistance, tugging at the corners of his lips: "To become that eternal watcher? To be bound in a glorious yet lifeless radiance, to become a cold symbol that holds the galaxy together? No, Hathor! This so-called 'supreme glory,' I absolutely cannot accept!" Chen Xi might be willing to turn the tide in times of crisis, but to become an emperor? That thought was utterly unacceptable!

Whether he transformed into a near-ruthless being like an emperor, or was eternally imprisoned on the golden throne and became a symbol of immortality, neither was the ending he desired.

If I have saved humanity, why should I suffer such torment? I am not guilty enough to deserve this.

Hathor, moved by Chen Xi's fierce resistance, gave a helpless smile: "You misunderstood me! I meant that you have the potential to become a leader in the future."

A leader who is comparable to my brother, or even... my father, guides humanity through a dark and hopeless destiny.

When the Great Rift tears open the curtain of the future, pouring down darkness, humanity needs a pioneer, a guide who can ignite the flame of hope in the boundless chaos and illuminate the path ahead.

"Let me... think about it some more." Chen Xi's response was still hesitant.

To become a guide for human civilization? These words certainly contain an epic grandeur and a heavy responsibility.

However, the last emperor who wielded this power and led humanity forward is now eternally bound to the golden throne, transformed into a magnificent living corpse.

Guilliman, his successor, even with the immense power of the Primarch, faced the decaying and crumbling empire. However, under the endless pressure of political affairs, his hair turned white, and he let out a heavy sigh.

Chen Xi had no intention of sacrificing herself on such a cruel altar.

Hathor remained silent.

She knew that some proverbs did not need to be elaborated upon.

When the tides of fate surge forth, no one can truly remain outside the torrent of time.

Some people are destined to be pushed to the forefront of history by that invisible giant wave, shouldering that inescapable mission—whether they like it or not.

"Forget it, let's not talk about these things!" Chen Xi seemed to be disturbed by the heavy topic. She reached out and brushed the documents and data board in front of her aside, stood up and said to Hathor, "Thanks to you, official business has been going much more smoothly recently, and the efficiency of the secretariat has also improved significantly, which has given me some rare free time this afternoon."

"Perfect timing! Come with me to inspect the Ash Knights' recruit training!"

His eyes flickered slightly, a hint of inquiry in them: "I'd also like to see for myself how a Primarch instructs a new recruit."

(End of this chapter)