Emperor's Bane

Chapter 555

“He still knelt down.”

"With his legion: I never thought I would witness such a scene."

Guilliman's voice was neither sad nor happy, like that of a pure spectator. At this moment, he had already hidden far away from Lorgar's sight, and together with the Sigillite, he witnessed this drama that had already been rehearsed on paper thousands of times.

Although he knew everything that was to happen next by heart, when he actually witnessed his fantasy become reality: a legion of a hundred thousand Word Bearers warriors followed the Primarch's actions silently and knelt on one knee in unison among the tiles and dust in front of the Perfect City, a special sense of absurdity still filled his heart.

"Either they've gone crazy, or I've gone crazy."

Guilliman muttered to himself, he was shocked by the changes in the Seventeenth Legion: when Lorgar just knelt, the Word Bearers behind him were immersed in confusion and anger, because they could not figure out what was going on, and could only watch in vain as the Father of Genes was humiliated.

But soon, Luo Jia reminded his descendants with his actions: the Great Speaker calmed his mind as quickly as possible, and the distortion and ecstasy on his face disappeared, leaving only the most sincere fanaticism that a believer could show.

He straightened his back, looked serious, threw the hammer in his hand onto the sand, and then, in full view of everyone, spread out his arms as if no one was around, and devoted himself to the worship, as if this was not a public place but his private chapel.

This is the most formal week, and is also a compulsory course for every Word Bearer warrior on the Law of Faith. Lorgar's descendants quickly understood the truth, and an unprecedented fanaticism spread along with silence. The instinctive anger quickly subsided, and was replaced by the comfort of reason and faith.

A second later, the first imitator appeared: the legion's captain, Kor Phaeron, imitated him and threw away his hammer, then knelt on the sand, performing a pious prayer ceremony in an even more exaggerated posture, moving his arms and legs like a juggler.

But Kor Phaeron didn't notice that his swift, delicate and flattering actions actually attracted the attention of the Spider Queen: Morgan once again glanced at the captain of the Word Bearers' company, but this time, he kept it in mind.

Korphan's move was the first domino to fall, and then the warriors standing at the front of the team, led by Angertai, knelt down solemnly, followed by the next row, and the next row, until everyone knelt down impatiently: it took less than three minutes.

Although standing far away, Guilliman could still clearly see the expressions and sweat that symbolized fanaticism, and the cheeks of every Word Bearers warrior were tense with extreme joy, almost squeezing their eyeballs out: most people still couldn't believe the miracle in front of them, while the smarter ones had already begun to bow their heads and pray silently.

In just a few minutes, a capable and battle-hardened legion disappeared, and was replaced by a large group of the most fanatical believers, who built a holy city out of thin air on the sand. They all lowered their heads, exposing their necks, which were fatal to a warrior. They had completely lost the pride of being an Astartes, and instead looked like a gray wheat field ready to be harvested.

Guilliman, who witnessed all this, revealed a look of fear: on the one hand, he was afraid that the so-called "faith" would distort the Astartes to such an extent: they did not look like 100,000 warriors, but more like 100,000 extremely ignorant mortals.

But on the other hand, Guilliman secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart: Fortunately, he had driven his accompanying sons back to the battleship before all this started, otherwise the current scene would be somewhat embarrassing.

Thinking of this, the Primarch glanced at Malcador standing next to him. He did not know this famous Sigillite, nor did he like him: the most important point was that in this more or less private occasion, compared to him, Morgan, and the Imperial Guards who were equivalent to the Emperor's appendages, Malcador was a completely inappropriate "outsider".

Moreover, this outsider acted nonchalant when he saw an entire kneeling Astartes Legion: some strange sense of shared hatred against a common enemy made the Primarch frown, and his expression naturally did not escape the eyes of the Sigillite.

"But at least this time, he knelt down sincerely."

Malcador smiled, responding to Guilliman's earlier soliloquy.

“We don’t have to worry about any more problems.”

This nonchalant tone made the Primarch frown deeply.

"So, this was all planned?"

Guilliman's tone was somewhat aggressive.

“Everything you see is.”

Machado admitted it candidly.

"In fact, it is the only factor on the field that we cannot control right now."

"That's the one you are with..."

------

"The Divine Emperor."

After adjusting his inner turmoil a little, Luo Jia spoke.

His voice was soft, but full of pride: because he could feel the unhesitating devotion and fanaticism of his descendants behind him, and their kneeling became a kind of proof, proving the Seventeenth Legion's enthusiasm for the God-Emperor.

My legion is the most loyal.

The Great Bearer was so ambitious about this idea that he even selectively ignored other people present, such as the Sigillite, Guilliman, and the Custodes: Lorgar smiled under the bright light of the Emperor, waiting for the gospel from the only true God in the world.

But Lorgar still overlooked one point, and all the Word Bearers overlooked this point: they all kept their heads down, and no one dared to raise their heads and face the majestic face of the Emperor. This also resulted in Lorgar and his descendants not seeing clearly the sudden change in the expression on the face of the Lord of Mankind when Lorgar uttered the word "God-Emperor".

Originally, when he looked at Luo Jia just now, the emperor still had his eyes open, with love and trust in his pupils, but the moment Luo Jia knelt down, these precious emotions were gradually replaced by fatigue.

And when the words "Divine Emperor" finally floated in the air, in the golden pupils of the Lord of Mankind, there was only coldness, disappointment, and an unfathomable disgust.

Finally, the emperor simply closed his eyes and raised his head, like a stone statue deprived of any emotion. At the same time, the fingers on Morgan's shoulders squeezed slightly.

The Primarch took the hint.

Then, the golden light in Morgan's pupils became brighter, and the last trace of smile on her face disappeared, leaving only a god-like expression without sadness or joy. With every move she made, the Lord of Mankind behind her also cooperated very well, releasing the psychic pressure of the Emperor.

[Look up, Luo Jia.]

"..."

When he heard Morgan's voice, the Great Bearer was stunned for a moment, then he raised his head in disbelief. He first adapted to Morgan's presence, and then looked at his God-Emperor: he saw that the Emperor's gaze had moved away from him, he did not look at Luo Jia or any of the Bearers, but just took them all in with indifference.

This kind of indifference, on the contrary, made Luo Jia feel the majesty of God.

And when he saw that the Emperor was silent, and Morgan was instead preaching the gospel to all of them in a tone that sounded increasingly like the Emperor's, the Great Speaker quickly accepted this phenomenon: everything before him was just as he had written in the Book of Holy Words.

God does not need language.

Since God is unknowable, His power is unfathomable.

It was the honor of their lifelong life that the God Emperor spoke to them, and that the God Emperor conveyed his will to them through his blood relatives. This was a manifestation of the God Emperor's own divine power: with endless excitement and enthusiasm in his heart, Luo Jia figured these things out in just a moment.

But he was still trembling in his heart, because he saw clearly that neither the Emperor nor Morgan had much mercy on their faces, but rather extremely serious ones: perhaps they had done something wrong, so serious that the Emperor of God himself needed to come.

Could it be that even a perfect city still cannot satisfy the God-Emperor?

The tension in the Primarch's heart did not last long. Before he could catch his breath, Morgan had already looked far away, reciting the Emperor's will aloud to every Word Bearer within his sight. The psychic pressure made the sound spread far away, and the Word Bearers obviously accepted Morgan's current identity as the [Imperial Voice].

After all, each of them was a devoted reader of the Divine Word.

【Those who bear the word, listen to me. 】

I am among you.

Morgan wrapped his every utterance with the Emperor's psychic shock, causing the 100,000 warriors to tremble in pain. They had to keep their faces tense, and their armor shook violently due to muscle cramps: under such powerful pressure, even the Astartes could not spare more energy to think about the truth of Morgan's words.

They could only listen passively, even Luo Jia was no exception.

But the answer they had been dreaming of was like falling into an icy cave.

【You are guilty.】

Morgan's pupils were completely occupied by golden flames, which made her disguise almost flawless: at least Luo Jia, who raised his head because of this sentence, did not doubt Morgan's words at all.

[You are stained with sin, you have abandoned your duties, you are beset with decay, like a yoke around your neck, your evil deeds have brought wrath, and dark clouds have covered the perfect city you built with your own hands, leaving it without a soul, so that it will bear the punishment for your sins.]

"But...but..."

Lorgar's eyes widened, the light of the Emperor filling his mind, and he could feel the sweat running down his temples and cheeks, just like every Word Bearer behind him: they were connected to their father's heart, and trembled at the words of Morgan, the Angel.

"The Divine Emperor."

The Primarch's lips were dry.

"Where did I go wrong..."

【This is your fault.】

Morgan interrupted her: This was not in line with the conversation etiquette of the Spider Queen, but such rudeness was too much in line with the Emperor: Morgan could clearly see that when she adopted such an arrogant and uncommunicative attitude, the last trace of doubt in Luo Jia's pupils disappeared.

The Primarch could not help but secretly worry about the Emperor's image.

But between her words, she was still trying her best to imitate those ancient theology books that she had studied before: the reason why she did not choose the Book of Holy Words was because Morgan had no confidence that she could defeat Luo Jia in the field of this book.

【Luo Jia.】

[You have lifted up your head and questioned our Father about his anger, instead of reflecting on your own vanity and ignorance. Otherwise, why would our Father be angry with you? It is because you despised the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not knowing that his kindness is to bring you to repentance.]

[The Emperor sent you the gospel, but you did not listen. Instead, you ignorantly questioned the Emperor without reflecting on the mistakes in your heart.]

【This is unrighteousness.】

"!"

Lorgar's rage came to an abrupt end. He knelt there blankly like a goose with its neck strangled. Even his legion was the same: the Word Bearers always received news late. While Lorgar was silent, his descendants were still in a panic because of the previous word "guilty".

A minute later, they fell into the same silence as Luo Jia.

"This is my fault, God-Emperor."

The Primarch lowered his head, his voice forced out through clenched teeth.

“This is my ignorance and weakness.”

"Please tell me what you want to say and the sins you want to accuse me of. I will use everything I have to wash them away. I will create thousands of more glorious and perfect cities to atone for my sins..."

【ignorance.】

Once again, Morgan did not wait for Luo Jia to continue to reveal his loyalty. She slightly raised her tone and did not continue to dwell on the issue of sin and atonement. Instead, she went straight to the point she wanted to talk about.

[Lorgar, son of the Emperor, you have misinterpreted our father's intentions and violated his lifelong wishes and his consistent expectations for you in the galaxy for seventy years: how long will you remain ignorant?]

"I didn't, father."

The Primarch's voice was extremely soft, like a child's low cry, and he even forgot to address the [God-Emperor]. Instead, he instinctively remembered the most basic relationship between him and the Emperor: the Primarch pursed his lips uneasily, at a loss for an excuse to make excuses.

"I have not misunderstood your meaning, I have not despised your wishes, in these seventy years I have devoted all I have to our common cause: the Perfect City, Colchis, and countless devout worlds in the Milky Way..."

【enough! 】

Morgan raised his hand.

The third time: But this time, she didn't just interrupt Luo Jia.

Morgan just twisted her shoulders slightly before she spoke, and the Emperor, who understood what his daughter meant, unleashed the strongest psychic pressure the moment she scolded him: more than half of the Word Bearers were on the verge of collapse, and thousands of Astartes lost their balance in an instant and fell to their knees on the ground.

At this moment, the resentment that had arisen because of Morgan's words vanished, and the Word Bearers once again felt the majesty of the God-Emperor. Awe and piety resounded in their hearts. No one dared to raise their heads again. They bowed their heads and listened to the Emperor's admonitions.

[I'll only say this once.] Morgan lowered his head and looked directly at Luo Jia.

【I only ask once.】

Gathering all his courage, the Primarch looked his father and blood kin in the face.

【Luo Jia.】

【Who are you? 】

"I……"

The Primarch hesitated.

"I am your descendant, your believer, and your most loyal follower..."

【It’s not these.】

Morgan turned her body so that her shadow could cover the kneeling Lorgar, and the Emperor's movements were synchronized with hers: the Lord of Mankind withdrew his gaze from the Word Bearers in the distance and poured it all onto Lorgar. The Primarch felt that he had never been under such tremendous pressure, even greater than that of a Titan Legion.

Answer me, Lorgar, what I told you: I gave you your place and your duty when you first met me on Colchis, in the midst of the storm, and you knelt at my feet, singing your piety as you do now.

[Your only identity, your only responsibility: Do you remember? ]

"..."

The Primarch raised his head and shrank his neck, like a primary school student who had made a mistake, he looked at his father in awe: the Emperor's words were like a sharp sword that split the storm in his mind, allowing Lorgar to see decades ago and recall the scene on Colchis.

Recalling what the Emperor had said to him.

"I'm Luo Jia."

After hesitating, he spoke.

"Your warrior, your Primarch of the Seventeenth Legion: Legion Master."

“This is what you gave me.”

The Primarch bowed his head, once again submitting to his God-Emperor.

“I dare not forget it for a moment.”

【No. 】

Morgan's voice was cold.

【you forgot.】

[Before, seventy years ago, until now, you have forgotten. ]

"NO, I have not……"

Instinctively, the Primarch refuted his God-Emperor once again, but when he met the angry gazes of the God-Emperor and Morgan head-on, he once again realized his own gaffe, lowered his head, and protested for himself in a low voice.

"I haven't forgotten, Father."

After thinking for a while, Luo Jia did not call himself "Divine Emperor" this time.

“I remember who I am.”

[Remember? ]

"Remember: Lord of the Seventeenth Legion."

[Do you know what this is asking you to do?]

"of course."

The primarch nodded.

“I’ve been doing it.”

【doing what?】

"Spread the faith, build a holy city, and persuade those who do not believe in the galaxy."

This is what you do.

"……Yes."

[You are the Lord of the Legion.]

"……Yes."

[So: Is this what the Lord of the Legion should do? ]

"..."

Luo Jia fell silent.

No matter how skilled this Great Speaker was at deceiving himself, he could not lie openly on this issue in front of the God-Emperor he revered: even if he caught a seven or eight-year-old child from the street, he could clearly explain the duties of the so-called legion and the legion master.

"Father……"

Luo Jia licked her lips.

"The people on those worlds that accept your beliefs are happy."

They are very happy.

Morgan didn't show any expression, but Luo Jia could still hear a sneer.

[So, you are going to disregard the command given by our father for this? ]

[Are you believing in them or our father, Luo Jia?]

[Or: What about you? ]

"Father!"

Luo Jia's knees were shaking.

"I have no such intention! I... I just want to tell you that my legion has created the most loyal world in the empire..."

【several?】

Morgan didn't bother to listen anymore.

【Tell me, how many? 】

"..."

Luo Jia twisted his fingers nervously, stammering and uttering a number that even he felt a little embarrassed about.

Morgan smiled.

This was not a normal smile. It was as unpleasant as the sound of stones rubbing against each other, shaking the hearts of every Word Bearer. She raised her head, looked at the 100,000 warriors present, and loudly said the number that Luo Jia had answered. This was a secret that every Word Bearer knew.

Morgan did not stop. In the next ten seconds, she simply named all the remaining Astartes Legions one by one, and then reported the number of worlds they conquered one by one: In general, except for the Thousand Sons Legion, which had just recently returned to the Great Crusade, and the 20th Legion, which had always been vague, the Word Bearers Legion was at the bottom of the list.

A large number of warriors, represented by Angertai, lowered their heads in shame. Although they did not listen to the words of the Emperor, they had already understood what the Emperor meant at this time: they were not like their genetic father, they had more warrior souls in them, and naturally they would be the first to feel shame and humiliation.

In fact, even Luo Jia himself understood it at this moment.

"Father!"

Luo Jia's voice was desperate, and sounded more like a last-ditch resistance, but before he could finish the words in his chest, the Emperor walked forward and placed his hand on the bald forehead of his offspring.

Morgan's voice sounded at the right time.

【Your father gave you responsibilities, but you neglected them. This is unrighteousness.】

【Your father gave you strength, but you abandoned him. This is cowardice.】

[Your father had high expectations for you, but you despised them. This is arrogance.]

[The Father gave you guidance, but you avoided it. This is ignorance.]

[He said you were guilty, but you did not repent and said you were innocent.]

【This is sin.】

"..."

【What else do you have to say, Luo Jia.】

[What else can I say: Luo Jia, who carries a legion but does not fight, carries power but does not defend, has guidance in his heart but does not realize it, knows his faults but has never repented.]

[You, what else do you have to say? ]

"I……"

"I……"

Luo Jia stammered and trembled, his body swaying like a dry old tree in the wind, ready to collapse at any time. In the eyes of the 100,000 Word Bearers warriors who were filled with fear, humiliation and despair, their genetic father lowered his head.

Tears flowed freely.

Luo Jia knelt down, no longer on one knee, but on both knees, with his hands on the ground, his tears drawing colors on the sand, and his sad voice, accompanied by the evening breeze of the Perfect City, drifted far away, drifted to the ears of every Word Bearer who was in tune with him.

"I'm guilty."

"I am guilty, Father."

"Please speak."

"I...I am willing to be punished."

(End of this chapter)