Emperor's Bane

Chapter 724 Collapse

Chapter 724 Collapse
"So there you have it, folks: this is the point I'm going to make."

"I will repeat it again, and I will repeat it countless times with pride: Give up the outdated ideas in your mind. Psychic power is not something that should be feared. It is just a natural force that has not yet been mastered. It is just the isotope of lightning, fire and rushing. It is the key to bring us a new era."

"Take a look at the evidence in my hands. I will use facts to convince all of you."

Bathed in the boundless light, Magnus' voice had never been so loud as it was now. His arms were raised high, like the legendary Statue of Liberty, and the fire symbolizing the future was burning in his palms. Even his scorching skin could not extinguish the joy and passion in the heart of the Primarch.

His whole life was for this moment, to explain the truth to the world. He believed that this was the reason why he was born and the reason why the Emperor created him: otherwise, why did the Lord of Mankind on the podium always maintain an ambiguous silence?

Not only the Emperor, but even the Emperor's servants seemed speechless: the Imperial Guards deployed at the foot of the platform showed a rare hesitation, their eyes lingering on the golden sun, and Malcador standing in front of them was no less shy, but his brows were even more deeply furrowed.

Seeing this scene, Magnus became even more proud and confident: if he had been a little hesitant before about the relationship between this sun and the Emperor, then the silence of these noble figures before him made the Primarch firmly believe that he was on the right path and that he had grasped the true truth.

He is going to turn defeat into victory!
For a moment, the endless ecstasy and ever-changing distortions made Magnus want to laugh out loud on the spot. He used all his reason to barely suppress his trembling brain, but even so he still turned around and admired the faces of each of his brothers with complacency.

Mortarion's face was just a hair's breadth away from the collapse of the sky and the earth. He was staring at Magnus's sun with murderous intent, as if it was some blasphemous existence that polluted his outlook on life and the world: Then, the same murderous intent spread in the direction of the Emperor.

Standing next to the Lord of Death, Leman Russ showed another kind of decadence: the Wolf King seemed to have given up resistance early on, his face was so gloomy that water could be squeezed out of it, but his wild body kept shrinking into the seat, instinctively trying to avoid the sun's rays, as if he smelled something dangerous.

Behind them, whether it was Horus's idiotic look of staring intently, or Jaghatai Khan's cowardly mentality of turning his head away and hoping for a single leaf to blind him, or Sanguinius and Dorn looking at the Emperor from afar, hesitating as their ideas began to collapse, all of which were carefully taken in by Magnus.

As for the other brothers, such as Fulgrim and Ferrus, who were vulgar people who did not even master the basic psychic skills, were naturally not worthy of Magnus' attention. Instead, Lorgar's reaction made him take a closer look, and he saw that the Great Speaker had already knelt down, praying devoutly as if nothing was happening around him. The morbid look in his eyes made Alpharius, who was standing next to him, look a little surprised and embarrassed, so he simply turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

Why? Perhaps it was because Luo Jia's prayers sounded no different from those of a fanatical murderer.

The Primarch looked away, not forgetting that when he first saw the sun, his performance was not much better than Lorgar's: Magnus did not turn back, because he could guess what attitude Morgan and those smart brothers would have towards his miracle, and they would once again become his most loyal friends.

And now, even Morgan and others are no longer the focus: after experiencing the confrontation with Mortarion and replaying it again and again in his mind, Magnus has more or less realized that the enlightenment of these ignorant and tragic people present is just a matter of convenience. Looking at the entire palace of Nikea, the only one who needs him to prove his worth is the supreme being on the podium.

"Emperor, Father, Supreme Lord."

The Primarch turned until the light of the Emperor filled his vision: before the one he loved most, even Magnus lowered his arms humbly, his hands joined together, and like an offering of a treasure, he held the merciless sun in front of his chest, bowed down, and spoke with reverence for the Emperor.

"In the past fifty years, or even longer, I have endured countless misunderstandings and ridicules, but I still led my Fifteenth Legion and traveled to every corner of the galaxy, enduring countless threats, loneliness, and confusion, just for this moment, just to be able to present this treasure to you."

"I can swear to everyone that the sun you see now, the hope you feel now, is the final result of my life's work as Magnus the Red and the entire Thousand Sons Legion: it is the treasure of our research on the Warp, and it is the supreme reward we can get after exploring every inch of the endless ocean."

“It is the future of humanity: it will help us get to the real future.”

The voice trailed off slightly, and the next words were just compliments to the Emperor himself.

"I hope this can help you, my great lord and father, because you are our only sun, your wisdom and thoughts guide the progress of our race: when I hand you this treasure that has gathered so much effort, I am always eager for your response and insights, to point out the truth that we cannot see for ourselves."

"With your wisdom, you must know what this treasure symbolizes."

"Please answer our questions: please tell us its true identity and meaning."

Having said this, Magnus bowed deeply and saluted the Emperor. The endless sunlight dyed the Primarch's red skin with a strange orange-yellow color. Bubbles of all sizes appeared one after another. No one could bear it, but Magnus gritted his teeth in the end. He waited, waiting for the sacred voice from the Emperor.

The worldly troubles of Nikaea mattered little as long as the Emperor spoke.

Thinking of this, Magnus even cast a smug glance at Mortarion: his brother would never have thought that while he was still trying to gain support among mortals, Magnus had already seen through the rules of the game: he realized earlier than the Lord of Death that the Emperor's final decision was more powerful than the votes of hundreds of dignitaries.

This is true wisdom.

But it also takes real courage: just the courage to withstand the sun.

The Primarch bent down, enduring the pain with unprecedented patience, biding his time: the entire venue fell silent as Magnus moved, hundreds of eyes gradually focused on the podium, in that always silent light, whether Primarch or mortal, everyone was waiting for the Emperor to speak and give the true judgment of this sun.

Some people were furious and they hoped that the Emperor would personally deny having any connection with this filthy product. Some others had tears in their eyes and they firmly believed that this was the last lost fragment of the Emperor's soul. Even more people just frowned, or greedily pondered this new power, or thought carefully: If the Emperor nodded, how should they treat the invisible power from the warp that was no longer the same as before.

Everyone is waiting: from the humble nobles to Malcador on the stage.

They didn't have to wait long.

Just a few seconds later, the Lord of Mankind, who had been silent and cautious all the time, raised his head slightly. In a dimension invisible to everyone, the seal holder under the platform received an order from his master. He coughed heavily, attracting the attention of the audience, then took a step and stood in front of Magnus.

"I have some questions for you to answer."

This was a notice: the Scarlet King bent even deeper.

"Answer me, Magnus: where did you find this power?"

Power: This rather neutral definition has caused many people to think secretly.

"Please allow me to answer."

Magnus straightened up, and he seemed to be prepared for the expected difficulties. Then, in less than a minute, the Prospero described in detail how he had come into contact with the sacred sun.

He described with emotions that ordinary people could not imagine how tragic and glorious the ancient battlefield that led him to was: even though everyone present was a heartless bastard, there were many sobbing voices in the shadows, commemorating those lingering heroic souls, and they were all infected by Magnus' emotions.

But then, at a juncture where even the most sensitive people couldn't turn their nerves around, Magnus' tone suddenly changed, tightly gripping the hearts of all the listeners: his voice became more majestic than ever before, as if there really were tens of millions of invisible heroic spirits, personally performing the scene at that time for the audience.

How do they sleep? How do they stay where they once fought? How do they guide the lucky Primarchs to embark on the destined path of all mankind? And Magnus is so similar to the captain who hunted the white whale: how he led his men to set sail in the stormy warp, and experienced so many crises that made people sweat and their hearts stop, before finally setting foot on the shore of utopia.

In less than a minute, a history book that might have spanned a thousand years slowly flowed through the minds of every listener. Many people came to their senses only to find that their faces were wet with tears and their hearts had been infected by Magnus: when they looked at the sun again, the eyes of these high-ranking officials were no different from Lorgar's.

"Finally, I found it."

But the Primarch did not care about all this. Even for Magnus, it was a natural skill to inspire these mortals with his bold words and personal charm. Now the Primarch was only concerned with paying tribute to the Sigillite and the Emperor sitting behind him. He had answered their questions as detailed as possible.

The bearer of the seal had a face as cold as ice: his voice was older than usual.

"So you found it in the deepest part of the warp, in the ruins of an ancient battlefield that you had never seen before, guided by some human spirits you saw as heroes, a place that even you could not reach again: Have you tried it, Magnus?"

"Avalon is always mysterious."

The Primarch smiled, as if he wanted to show more confidence, but the Emperor's servants ignored his change.

"In that case, how can you be sure that this is the future of mankind that you are talking about?"

"It's very simple, Your Excellency the Master of the Seal."

Under the illumination of the boundless light, the face of the Scarlet King looked so holy: even the Sigillite, who had long been numb, felt his heart waver unconsciously when he looked into Magnus' eyes. If it were not for the silence behind the Emperor, Malcador would not have asked this question at all.

Just like an ordinary person, when he saw this sun with his own eyes, the Sigillite's heart was swallowed by endless shock: the previous comments were one thing, but seeing the real thing with his own eyes was another thing. When he was moved by the light at such a close distance, Malcador instinctively wanted to believe that this sun must be an illusion of the Emperor in the warp.

The Emperor felt his thoughts: but he remained silent.

Maybe Magnus is just luckier than ordinary people?
Inside, Malcador was more shaken than he had thought.

And Magnus' words did sound reasonable: even though the Primarch was now facing everyone.

"Everyone, everyone!"

Magnus held the sun to the level of his own eyes. They were as intimate as a pair of old friends. The Primarch only needed to whisper a few words in a low voice, and the endless light swallowed up the entire circular hall. Fantasies that were indistinguishable from real ones jumped out one after another, and in the blink of an eye, everyone was dragged into a new world that seemed to have always existed.

That was Magnus's world.

Lord Prospero was like a maid holding a torch high. He slowly raised his arms, dragging the sun until it was out of his grasp and flew towards the high dome of Nikaia, illuminating the world here like a real sun. More projections and illusions appeared in the shadows, accompanied by the deep voice of the Primarch.

"Let me ask you, have you ever thought about a question before?"

"What is the so-called subspace? What is it?"

There was silence and whispers from all sides, but the Primarch was not concerned about the reactions of mortals.

"In the past, the Warp was considered witchcraft, fantasy, the ravings of the mentally ill, an unexplored area, the so-called fourth or fifth dimension: there have always been countless people who have tried to explain the existence of the Warp with scientific methods, but undoubtedly, they have all failed."

"The reason is simple, because these scientists are by no means believers in the materialism they claim to uphold: when they face the truth of the warp, but are unwilling to acknowledge the existence of the soul and the spiritual world, they have committed the biggest mistake of materialism, which is to acknowledge everything that exists in the world."

"Now, we can put aside the so-called science and materialism. I can tell you responsibly: the so-called subspace is our spiritual world. The so-called subspace is the echo of our inner emotions. Its essence is nothing more than a mirror, reflecting the power that we cannot see in the real universe."

"Everyone, this is what I want to tell you here: the so-called emotions and thoughts are actually powerful, but we have never discovered them before, and the subspace is the sustenance of these powers. We use our bodies to change the world in reality, and in the subspace, we can use our brains and hearts to change the world."

"If a person is noble enough, angry enough, or mean enough, he can gain a unique echo in the warp, a warp existence born out of his emotions and thoughts: safe or dangerous because of the actions of the initiator."

"So, everyone present, I hope you will no longer believe that the so-called warp power is a dangerous existence. This is a typical survivor bias: it is precisely because the real universe has been too dangerous in the past thousand years that the originally peaceful warp has been stirred into a chaotic quagmire. When our empire brings peace and stability back to the world, the warp will eventually return to its tranquility."

"Captains, Rogue Traders and Astropaths, have you not discovered how safe the warp has become in the last few decades? The only annoyance is the time error: this is the best proof of my words. We have brought peace to the real universe, but the warp has given us safety."

"In that case, why should we reject the psychic power that the Warp gives us because we are afraid of the Warp itself? Don't constrain yourself because of the tragedies of the past. Focus on the future. Remember, we are changing this world, and the forces of the past should not hold us back."

"And on that basis, let us look toward this sun that I have brought."

Magnus held up one arm to the sky, directing everyone to look at the supreme light. "Remember what I said just now: As long as the emotions of any person are sufficiently agitated, new matter can be generated in the warp. In the dark technological age, our ancestors were deeply trapped in the vortex of distorted science and the endless feud with the Iron Man. The galactic-level agitated souls eventually stirred the warp into a frenzy that opened the era of strife, causing the power of countless psykers to go out of control."

"So, my dear fellow Great Crusade members: think of what a great cause we have gone through. With human courage and sacrifice, we have once again firmly grasped the entire galaxy in the hands of our race. We have defeated billions of opponents and brought order and civilization back to countless worlds. We have driven despair out of this galaxy and replaced it with boundless hope and joy."

"Tell me, then: when such great emotions surge through the Warp, what will they produce? When these emotions are about noble sacrifice, bright hopes and the laughter of children, what great beings will it give birth to?"

“And isn’t this great existence right before our eyes now?”

Magnus raised his head, he let go of all his strength and defenses, and immersed himself in joy: the bright sun was hanging high above his head, so far away from him, yet so close.

"Back to me, guys."

“An individual born out of the emotional resonance of all of humanity.”

"An existence born out of our sacrifices, and which will protect our entire race."

"I don't even need to tell you, you all know how similar this aura is to the Emperor."

"Answer me, everyone."

"Who is that?"

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"what is it?"

Magnus smiled, pricked up his ears, and listened to the silence of the mortals. Amid the discussions and answers without any sound, there was a word so dazzling yet so loud that it was rippling in everyone's heart at the same time: and it was also shouted out loudly by Luo Jia.

That's right.

"is God."

"He is the God of our human race."

“We created this God with our own hands.”

“It was born out of our sacrifice.”

"It surrenders to our cause."

“It’s heading into our future.”

"Well, my Lords."

Magnus muttered to himself.

“Tell me: God, what will you do?”

What will it do?
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It will kill us all.

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"Wha...what?"

A voice, a voice that seemed hidden in the shadows on all sides, a voice that seemed to come from both the Emperor and mortals. Magnus felt that this voice was so familiar, yet so strange. He woke up with a start, but found that he could not find the source of the voice.

"I said……"

"It will kill us all."

"who!"

The Primarch's rage surged, his sacred moment was interrupted, he looked angrily towards every corner of Nikaea, but saw only countless bewildered faces: in the eyes of the Primarch and the mortals, all they saw was Magnus who was still wandering in beautiful ideals, shouting the [Word of God] to everyone, but at this moment he suddenly became furious again, like a madman walking out of a mental hospital.

"..."

what happened?

Magnus was a little dazed: everyone was looking at him blankly, even Malcador and Mortarion were no exception, they seemed not to have heard the loud voice, that voice seemed to only echo in his heart, that voice had become more and more familiar.

The voice still continued.

"Kill us all."

So loud, so true.

who is it!

Who is it?

Magnus wanted to roar, his great heart broke instantly, but he could not find any target to blame. He looked around blankly, searching back and forth on countless strange faces, until he suddenly stopped, until he suddenly realized something, until he found that everyone's faces had turned into distorted screams without realizing it.

Are they reminding him?

Even Mortarion is reminding him?

What are they talking about?
Danger? What danger?
Where is the danger...

"..."

Magnus heard it.

He finally heard it.

He heard a sound so heavy and sudden that it was as if an asteroid had fallen from orbit: it was so harsh and so close that it seemed to be right above his head...

No, it was on top of his head.

Before it was too late, Magnus finally raised his head in confusion.

He saw it, he saw endless flames filling his vision.

He saw the living sun running towards him, unstoppable.

He saw him, saw the face in the orange-yellow halo at the center of the flame, the face that could not be described in any words, the face that made his soul howl.

That is……

He opened his mouth, but as the merciless sun plunged down upon him, the Primarch was too late to utter a single word.

When his body and soul were completely submerged by the light of the Emperor, Magnus only had time to feel one thing.

Amid the excruciating pain, he felt such tremendous power, power that should have been released upon him, power that should have been able to kill him, but now it was rushing towards him in all directions: towards his brothers, his people, and his father.

That is a force that is enough to destroy all of Nikea, and even the entire galaxy.

That is……

In the darkness, a question mark flickered in the Primarch's mind before he fainted.

Is that... God?

A golden...black...or golden...god?

------

Was it God who gave him the sun?

……

That's not right.

Didn't he get it himself?
The sun I got...

……

What sun?
------