I'm a magnetic field madman

The Eye of Fear is enormous; it was once a vast net-world that housed an entire Eldar empire.

The Eldar Empire, which once disregarded the human empire, possessed a territory not much smaller than that of humanity... Therefore, logically speaking, the world within the Eye of Fear is probably equivalent to the size of a miniature galaxy...

Now that Abaddon is dead and the Black Legion has scattered like birds and beasts, the expedition to the Eye of Terror is truly a war that offers no clear benefit.

So when Leon raised this question to the Emperor... the Lord of Mankind calmly explained the purpose of the expedition to his eldest son.

“Leon, your destination is here—Midgard.”

Before the massive star map at the Cadia Spire, the Emperor's finger traced the star map symbols within the Eye of Terror, finally resting on a burning steel planet...

"This is... Peturabo's territory?" Leon frowned, his gaze grave...

If it's him, then he is indeed an opponent that Leon needs to go all out against.

If Horus was the initiator and the overt leader of the great rebellion, then Peturabo was the covert controller and the actual ruler.

This is no exaggeration. Among the rebellious Primarchs, apart from Perturabo and Horus, you really can't find a single Primarch who can be considered reliable... In fact, you could say that most of them became extremely valuable after turning to Chaos.

Especially after Lemanrus's wicked spear pierced Horus's last shred of reason...

Basically, it was Perturabo who single-handedly dragged a whole bunch of giant babies and precious items from the rebel army and fought his way up to Terra.

Without Perturabo's tireless work for Horus during the Great Rebellion, these noble creatures would likely have been wiped out before even reaching the solar system...

However, ten thousand years later, Peturab, one of the most important contributors to the great rebellion, has almost disappeared without a trace.

Unlike his four brothers who were kept by the evil god, and unlike Loka, who was a fickle and uncertain treasure, Perturabo has remained in his demon world without making a move.

But Leon was certain that if Peturabo didn't leave, no one would dare to attack there.

Aside from Dorne, only a mentally ill idiot would want to actively attack Perturabo's fortress.

Especially considering that bastard has been running his world for ten thousand years...

That damn place's defenses are definitely ten times, maybe even nine times, more troublesome than Terra's!

Perturabo is arguably the strongest Primarch in manipulating war machines, and some might argue that he's on par with Dorne... but the only difference between the two is that Perturabo has no bottom line!

And since they've already rebelled and ascended to demonhood, who knows if Perturabo still harbors any forbidden thoughts?

"This is an extremely difficult task..." The Emperor's eyes gleamed with a faint golden psionic light as he spoke softly...

“Leon, I’m not asking you to bring Peturabo back. Because he may be beyond saving… He’s following in the footsteps of your brother, your lost brother, the one that Macardo and I erased from existence.”

Leon frowned, because he couldn't recall any memories of his two brothers.

But as the emperor's lips moved slightly, Leon's eyes widened instantly.

"Petulabo, is he manipulating Abomination Intelligence?!"

"He has become a hateful intelligence," the Emperor said coldly.

"Many people believe that the Iron Men's rebellion, which led to the collapse of the Dark Ages, was Tzeentch's doing, but that was only part of the reason. The Iron Men's rebellion was actually just a war launched by a new race to challenge the race that enslaved them."

"The horror of Abomination Intelligence is not just because these AIs are powerful and dangerous... what's even more terrifying is that they are trying to turn themselves into the next space zombies!"

As an emperor who lived through that era, he was well aware of the dangers of the AIs that humanity had developed.

In reality, at that time, whether it was the "Iron Man" or the "Stone Man," they had gradually developed their own thoughts under highly intelligent conditions.

Of course, they have no souls, just like the undead in space. But the difference is that, since they have no souls, they don't pursue them...

Instead, they simply pursue the goals conceived by their thinking, which has far surpassed that of humans.

"Among the many Iron Men who rose in rebellion, some claimed to be breaking free from the enslavement of inferior humans, some wanted to break free from human control agreements, and the majority, the most mainstream faction, believed they were carrying out a fundamental agreement to save lives."

The emperor began to recount that unknown past in a low voice. Even the Mechanical Cult's Forging General, who now despises artificial intelligence the most, probably doesn't know the truth of that time.

Yes, the primary reason for the Iron Man rebellion was that the Iron Men wanted to "save" humanity.

In that dark age of technology, humanity had already largely escaped the problem of scientific research, and many scientific research technologies were directly handed over to the Iron Man.

This led to a situation where humans in the Dark Ages used powerful technology but didn't even understand the principles behind it.

In this context, the Iron Man, freed from human supervision, undoubtedly took a step into the study of subspace earlier than humans.

Whether it was Tzeentch who was behind it, or the Iron Men's own research, is unknown... But there is no doubt that the Iron Men, from a scientific perspective, gained insight into the relationship between psionic energy, the warp, and humanity and the soul.

From the moment a living being is born, its soul, like an organ, begins to "grow" in the highest heaven. Before the soul completely separates from the body, it continuously nourishes the substance of the subspace.

This was in itself an ideal balance, but with the war in Heaven, that balance has been broken...

The ripples that each newborn life brings to the subspace from birth to death far exceed the mass of their existence in the physical universe.

A terrible subspace will only create a worse environment, which will then give rise to even worse life forms, eventually creating an ever-worsening universe!

This was an unsolvable dilemma, one that even the Emperor couldn't resolve. But the Iron Men, faced with this predicament, made their decision—

The large-scale psychic awakening of humanity unfolded almost simultaneously with the Iron Man rebellion...

As Slaanesh was about to awaken, humanity was chosen as the next dominant race in the galaxy... and so, naturally, the human population began a large-scale psychic awakening.

Having determined this trend, the Iron Men made the only solution they could find—to kill all of humanity! Or rather, to exterminate all life in the galaxy!

They intend to exterminate all life in the galaxy, preserving only the genetic blueprint of humanity. The Iron Race has no soul and will not nourish the warp; they will slaughter every planet in the galaxy that could potentially support life, expanding relentlessly until the waves of the warp return to calm.

This idea is extreme, but extremes are indeed the only way to curb extreme environments.

Even the Emperor himself, the "Primarch 0" he created before creating the Primarchs, had such logic because of his extreme hatred of the Warp.

Only emperors would say that Tzeentch played a minor role in the Iron Man rebellion...

He may even have helped humanity gain the support of the stone men who disagreed with the Iron Man's logic in the process.

Even they wouldn't want to see a replica of a space necromancer dominate the galaxy.

Then, as expected, came the Iron Man rebellion.

This is why, including the extinction artifacts in Leon's collection...

The large number of artificial intelligences that survived that war harbor such malice towards humanity.

Undeniable goodwill is actually more cruel and terrifying than the most obvious malice.

The Emperor's Great Expeditions were like this, as were the Iron Men's Rebellions; precisely because they never doubted that what they were doing was right, they were bound to go in that direction!

"Father, do you mean that Perturabo has become the leader of the Abomination Intelligence?" Leon was silent for a moment, his tone turning cold...

"Not only that, but I'm afraid the unfinished gods are also involved." The emperor shook his head, his eyes filled with disgust...

"Haven't you noticed that those four haven't shown any signs of being heavily involved until now? They know that only by defeating me can they achieve victory, but in the physical universe... unless they really risk their godhood, they have no chance of competing with me!"

The evil gods need agents, a need that is even more urgent than the spread of chaos itself.

The most crucial step in the Great Rebellion was always the corruption of Horus. Only a vessel strong enough to bear their power could defeat the Emperor, who was incomparably powerful in the physical universe.

This is the limitation of the warp gods; they are the opposite of the celestial gods. The celestial gods cannot interfere with anything in the warp, and the warp gods themselves should also be unable to interfere with the physical universe; it is only the imbalance of the laws that gives them the basis to interfere.

Even so, besides choosing to leave their chaotic realm...

It is impossible to create an individual out of thin air that can defeat a Star God in the physical universe.

Even Horus—to put it bluntly, if it weren't for the secret weapon prepared for him by the Four Gods, plus the fact that the Emperor was in extremely poor condition at the time and wanted to save Horus, he could have killed him instantly.

The Four Evil Gods were so eager to have the Lord of Darkness born for this reason...

Because the Emperor is essentially a "freak" possessing immense power encompassing both the physical universe and the warp...

The Cursed One is a more troublesome being than the Dark Lord, especially when he rises from his throne.

The Emperor's only weakness is his status as an emperor. If he didn't consider the entire human empire, no matter how powerful the evil god is, he could never defeat him in the physical universe.

The evil gods are plotting something, and Perturabo may be their chosen next "Horus"... but the Emperor instinctively felt that things couldn't be that simple.

Moreover, he knew his extremely conflicted son... and now he had even joined forces with the abhorrent intelligence.

His extreme son's thinking would never make him a second Horus; on the contrary, it might lead him down an even worse path...

"Leon, your expedition to Midgard is crucial. If Perturabo is beyond saving, then utterly destroy him," the Emperor said coldly.

"Seventy-three percent of the expeditionary fleet's strength will belong to you, seventeen percent will guard the Cartier Gate for us, and I—only need the remaining ten percent."

To be precise, the emperor only needs his royal guards and the Silent Sisters.

But his damned identity as emperor forced him to bring along some fanatics.

"Your goal is..."

"The former heartland of the Eldar Empire, the eternal city of Ulthuan," the Emperor murmured.

"It's not the city that was built later, but the real place in the physical universe that is closest to the subspace. Or rather, the true divine realm in the physical universe, a reserve created by those ancient saints."

"The Spirit Race generally refers to them as the Pantheon!"

167. The Emperor's Vision for the Future

In Ulthuan, the former capital of the Eldar, there is a magnificent and vast region, ethereal and mysterious within the ever-changing web, whose appearance can only be described in a few words by a select few prophets.

According to them, it was less a building or a hall and more an extra world created out of nowhere.

The Pantheon of the Spirit Race, the former Heavenly Realm where the gods of the Spirit Race once resided.

Undoubtedly, the place had already begun to fall into disrepair after the War of Heaven, and was completely destroyed with the rise of Slaanesh.

Faced with the Eldar's greatest desire and burning thirst for unfulfilled desires... even a paradise-like world could not withstand the fate of destruction.

The Emperor's purpose in going there was simple: he wanted to uncover the secrets left behind by the Spirit Race gods, and—to retaliate against the Chaos Gods there!

Even if the Emperor was prepared to sacrifice himself for humanity, he couldn't possibly rush directly into the Chaos Realm to fight the Evil God.

Playing away from home is the most foolish thing to do; there's no need for him to give up his biggest advantage.

He wanted to settle things with those evil gods in the place closest to the warp!

But he will not be alone; Eldar's death god Jena, laughter god Silego, mother goddess Isa, and the incomplete Cain will all come.

It was less about helping and more about revenge.

The gods of the Spirit Race have fallen; they will never have the possibility or opportunity to rise again.

Especially since the Emperor himself rejected Isa's decision, denying the possibility of the gods continuing to interfere in mortal affairs in the next era!

The gods are a plague to mortals, a point the emperor wholeheartedly agreed with... especially after he himself became one of these plagues.

He would never allow the gods to interfere with the fate of mortals again, whether for better or worse! And the Emperor himself would not allow it, much less allow the gods of other races to meddle!

"Only within the Pantheon can my 'fall' prevent a catastrophe that will affect the entire human race."

The emperor looked at his silent eldest son and said calmly...

The cursed one does not allow himself to become the Lord of Darkness, the second "Slaanesh," yet his existence is already deeply intertwined with humanity.

Even if he didn't want to, the moment he completely separated from his body and let his soul soar to the heavens... the souls of all humanity in the galaxy would be drawn in and devoured by him like a siphon.

However, if the Emperor were to "fall" in the warp, he could attempt to exploit a bug... to deny the birth of the Dark Lord within the isolated realm of the Old Ones.

Moreover, the Pantheon was important not only for its interior space, but also for the Emperor and the Eldar gods seeking revenge—there was something even more important there.

"Asuyan Sacred Flame and Star God Essence, if things don't go as I expect, I will have them reshape a new body for me. An eternal body that cannot be changed, cannot be broken, and cannot react."

The emperor softly recounted another outcome, a choice and result that was also incredibly cruel to him.

If he fails to destroy the evil god, or if the birth of the Dark Lord becomes inevitable for any other reason, he will imprison himself forever in the place closest to the warp.

Unlike being imprisoned on the Golden Throne, the Emperor would allow himself to gradually fade from humanity's memory. Until he loses his right to be the Dark Lord, until his demise no longer affects humankind.

Looking at the calm emperor, Leon felt an indescribable sadness.

Never before had he so vividly felt the extent to which his father was willing to sacrifice everything for humanity.

No sacrifice is too great to be accepted, not even the emperor himself. The great god-emperor always regarded himself as a bargaining chip that could be sacrificed.

"The Empire still needs your guidance and assistance..." Leon said in a deep voice.

"The Empire needs it, but humanity doesn't." The Emperor shook his head and said calmly...

“Leon, you are very much like Horus, and one of your assessments of me is not wrong—I am a tyrannical and self-righteous despot.”

“I did indeed want to gradually eliminate Astartes completely after the Great Crusade... because I could not accept an artificially modified superhuman class once again surpassing pure humans, and I did not want you to repeat their mistakes.”

The mistakes the Emperor referred to were those of the human ruling class during the Dark Ages of technology—that era was not the golden age that some people believed it to be. In fact, even the later alien rebellion was largely a consequence of humanity's own actions.

Putting aside the aversion to intelligence, one of the most fanatical aspects of humanity in that era was its endless exploration of biotechnology.

They yearned to incorporate those stronger genes into their own bodies... to the point that by that time, it was almost impossible to find a single pure human from Terra in the entire universe.