Emperor's Bane

Chapter 886 Emperor: I can’t keep this girl anymore!

Morgan felt as if he had had a very long dream.

She wandered on an endless painting, with countless futures and possibilities exploding and dancing before her eyes like oil paint dripping on paper: behind every gorgeous and absurd color, one could hear indescribable laughter and bone-chilling cold wind.

One after another, they flooded into her mind. Although she knew they were just illusions, every scene that appeared before her eyes was so real.

It’s as if they are all world tragedies that are about to happen, or are happening right now.

The Spider Queen looked at them, one by one.

A familiar feeling came to mind, but this time there was an indescribable subtle difference.

What is the difference?

Maybe it's... more realistic?
Morgan couldn't understand: she just quietly witnessed the constantly changing faces and sorrow in her field of vision.

What did she see?
She saw the Heracles Fenr capsized in a burning space of iron and fire, like a wild beast being torn to pieces by more ferocious monsters: the broken limbs of the Space Wolves scattered all over their glorious flagship, their chests and backs were full of sharp daggers.

She saw waves of cheerful nursery rhymes floating in the lifeless wasteland of the Taiping star region. Countless hunched figures wrapped in human skin were crawling on the ground like monkeys, fanatically shouting tuneless prayers, while a terrifying shadow was looming behind them.

She saw Chagatai Khan, who was drinking by himself under a crescent moon. When the wine soaked his long beard, he picked up the arrowless bow in his hand and shot at the moon. In an instant, millions of stars appeared on the black grassland and rushed towards the vast blood-red universe.

She saw Guilliman kneeling on the ground, kneeling on the ruins of Macragge, holding a rotten head in his hands like a penitent, with his head bowed and weeping: the Lion of Caliban stood behind his brother, standing in the shadows, blood dripping from his sword, a fierce light in his eyes.

When Guilliman disappeared like ashes, Jonson stayed where he was. He put away his sword, turned around and walked into a more glorious hall.

Morgan recognized this place: because it was from this palace that she ruled over the hundreds of nations on the Far Eastern frontier.

And now, her most trusted brother was already sitting on her throne, with his sword stuck into the ground, and countless Dawnbreakers and officers bowed their heads before him: she saw Jonson spitting out orders one after another quickly, commanding and dispatching everything in Avalon with ease, preparing...

……

【…】

【Um!!!】

and many more?

Who?
where?

what are you doing!
When Lion Johnson's broad Caliban lips collided in mid-air and he uttered "Titan Legion" in the most standard High Gothic language, the Spider Queen, who didn't know how long she would continue to sleep, suddenly opened her eyes.

Jonson is commanding her legion of Titans!
And her Avalon!
And her army!!!

Just thinking of this possibility, the Lord of Avalon, who was already exhausted to the point of being vulnerable, suddenly found strength from nowhere and jumped up.

It is truly a miracle in the field of medicine.

[Huh... Was it really an illusion? ]

Morgan sat up straight suddenly, and then she realized that the scene in front of her eyes had disappeared long ago, but her forehead and the back of her neck were already covered with dense beads of sweat: the Lord of Avalon wiped them off with lingering fear, and took two deep breaths before calming down.

Fortunately, it was just an illusion... just a dream.

The Spider Queen rubbed her temple.

OK: She admitted she overreacted a bit.

Although letting that Caliban man command her entire accumulated wealth at will was indeed one of the few things in the galaxy that could frighten Morgan, the Primarch knew that the real situation was not that exaggerated: it was purely the psychological shadow of the past that was at work.

This was no empty talk: no one in the galaxy dared to claim to know Jonson better than Morgan, not even the Emperor or Luther, not even Jonson himself.

Therefore, the Spider Queen knew very well that the Calibans were not all mediocre people who would only spend money extravagantly. They were just used to making the safest options to ensure victory. Unfortunately, the difficulty and intensity of the wars that Jonson faced in most cases meant that he was destined to sacrifice a lot for this safety.

But he is a man who is not afraid of sacrifice: no matter whether the sacrifice is his own or not.

【…】

No: I still feel a little uneasy.

She had to go back quickly: but first she had to get out of this damn place.

The Primarch blinked his eyes, steadied his breathing, combed his messy hair, wiped the seemingly non-existent dust on his cheeks, then stood up, carefully smoothed the wrinkles on his long skirt, moved his fingers a few times, and felt the veins of his psychic energy come under control again: after doing all this, his blue-green pupils looked around.

She first had to determine where this place was.

Psychic exploration quickly gave the answer: her consciousness was floating in a created space.

Can't leave at the moment.

Great, that narrows the answer down considerably.

There are only five players in the entire galaxy who can trap Morgan, a top psychic: four of them are not safe.

The Primarch looked around.

She was in a somewhat desolate, though not lifeless, plain. The grayish-yellow soil was interspersed with dense pebbles and weeds, and from time to time she could see three or two rodents running by. Further away, there were either rugged rocks or dead trees, extending all the way to the mountains that rose one after another in the distance.

Morgan tilted her ear and listened carefully: in addition to the whimpering sound of the dead branches shaking in the wind, she also heard a soothing pattering sound.

That's the sound of waves hitting the shore.

I looked up at the sky again: I saw that the sun's rays were at just the right intensity, and a few curved clouds could cast a cool breeze.

Very good, there is no scorching sun hanging high in the sky, no annoying heat, no endless desert that cannot be walked out even if one travels for a century, and all factors that can make people feel irritated and angry do not exist: in other words, it is most likely not a trick of the God of Blood.

He took another look around, using his psychic power to sense the ground beneath his feet and the air he breathed. Everything was as stable as the pile of rocks not far away. There was no extremely strong magic power, and no distorted and changing colors. The possibility of the God of Change could be ruled out, but not completely.

As for the remaining two?
She didn't know that kind father very well, but he wouldn't take such a roundabout way.

And that one...

Morgan smiled.

The Spider Queen turned her head, stuck out her tongue, stirred her dry lips, and gently blew a breath of hot air towards the whiteness behind her neck.

No response.

That’s right: her previous abnormal insomnia and high nervousness were more like the work of the Prince of Pleasure.

In that case, the answer is obvious.

Morgan looked into the distance: at the end of the Primarch's vision, where the sea and the sky met, a faint golden light was looming.

The Spider Queen stretched.

Then slowly walked forward.

------

It was not until she arrived at the [seaside] that Morgan realized the situation was somewhat different from what she had imagined.

She had thought that she would see her father on this gray beach with only stones and salty sea breeze: after all, in a previous conversation between father and daughter, the Lord of Mankind had described to his daughter with regret how the last ocean on Terra had completely disappeared into the warp because of greed and stupidity.

What was lost was not only a sea of ​​water, but also the concept of the ocean on the land of Terra.
When this concept was completely betrayed, even though the Human Empire was able to mobilize the resources of the entire galaxy, they would never be able to recreate a true ocean on the land of Holy Terra.

(There is some debate about whether the concept of the ocean was betrayed to the warp, but I chose to adopt this setting for this book.)
Without the ocean as a carrier, the so-called water cycle is naturally out of the question: even if the Emperor has the ability to build the human home planet into a truly ideal city, he can only transport fresh water from other places to feed the countless population on Holy Terra.

According to the Lord of Mankind, this was the greatest defeat he had ever experienced in facing the Warp.

With this story in mind, Morgan would naturally not be curious about the Emperor's special love for the ocean.

In fact, the father and daughter would choose planets with oceans for many of their private talks. The Emperor liked to discuss things while listening to the sound of waves hitting the shore: he was keen on this purely natural sound with an admirable sense of unity. In his eyes, this represented the path that mankind should take in the future.

So, he would always choose to meet at the beach, and would always arrive a little early.

He would sit on a rock, facing the dazzling afterglow of the sunset and the salty sea breeze, while listening to his favorite natural music: even Morgan knew to keep quiet at this time, after all, it was not a wise move to disturb the Emperor's few hobbies.

But because of this, when the Spider Queen did not find her Gene Father in the familiar position, Morgan began to have the first trace of worry in her heart. She was not worried about the safety of the Emperor.

But at this time, the emperor cannot fall.

If it wants to fall, it has to wait until the great rebellion is over.

The Primarch quickened her pace. As she became more and more familiar with the structure of this illusion, the Spider Queen was finally able to do some things that a psychic should do: for example, using her psychic vision to quickly scan the entire beach, and then continue to spread to the endless sea in the distance.

Soon, she found her target.

Hmm...it moves incredibly fast?
Morgan frowned, but still floated obediently in the air and flew towards his target.

Along the way, the Primarch was on edge, ready to fight at any time, but the journey that followed was much smoother than the Spider Queen had expected. She did not encounter any obstacles or risks. The only things she encountered when she flew over were the occasional rocks that emerged from the sea, and schools of fish of all sizes that jumped out of the sea and stayed in the air.

Oh, and lots of seabirds: but most of them were beyond Morgan's knowledge.

What exactly is this place?
The Primarch was a little curious, but just as her curiosity urged her to go further, the Spider Queen finally caught a glimpse of the target of her trip from the corner of her eyes.

That's... a ship?

Yes, it was a fishing boat that was not very big, about seven or eight meters long from bow to stern, with a beautiful streamlined body painted white, and equipped with everything from the awning in the middle to the high-powered engine at the stern: but what really caught the eye was the busy figure on the boat.

Morgan discovered some good news, and some somewhat Schrodinger's bad news.

The good news: her genetic father at least looked like he was not in any danger of death.

And the bad news is...

Things are pretty tense in the galaxy right now, right?
The Emperor should theoretically be in deep trouble with the Webway and the Warp right now, right?
And her father probably doesn't have a twin brother who looks exactly like him, right?

【…】

So who is that guy standing at the bow, wearing a floral shirt and shorts, with sunscreen on his chest muscles, his skin tanned, swinging a metal sea fishing rod that looks more than four meters long, shouting excitedly because he has just hooked a marlin that is more than five meters long?
Morgan didn't dare to think about it any further: she was beginning to wonder if the problem was with her brain.

But time waits for no one: the giant marlin, which looks to weigh at least 900 kilograms, clearly has the strength to drag the fishing boat behind it in the sea water. Its tall and wide dorsal fin sways with dazzling light in the sun, and its cobalt blue body swings, dragging Holy Terra and the lords of the entire galaxy deeper into the sea.

【Tsk! 】

Finally, the Primarch simply shook his head, speeding up to catch up with the Emperor's rickety boat.

Morgan quickly settled on the boat, but found that her father had not noticed her: the Emperor was fanatically immersed in the excitement of fighting the big fish, and the cabin, which was not very spacious, was so crowded with all kinds of equipment and trophies that there was no place to stand.

The Lord of Avalon even saw a giant grouper at least two meters long at the stern of the ship, its yellow body struggling unwillingly on the deck.

The Primarch walked around it and looked towards the Lord of Mankind.

【Father. 】

Morgan spoke, calling to him.

【Father?】

+Wait a minute! +
The Emperor shouted at her.

+I am about to succeed here! +
【…】

The corners of Morgan's mouth twitched, and she clearly felt blood filling up behind her eye sockets.

[Can you please…]

+I said! Quiet! +
Before the Primarch could finish his words, the Lord of Mankind rudely interrupted his daughter's advice.

Morgan's smile faltered, and swirls of irritation formed at her temples.

The Primarch was silent for a while, then looked silently behind him: the still jumping yellow figure, and the deep blue ocean next to it.

"Pfft..."

And just a few minutes later, the human lord on the bow seemed to be finally ending the battle.

+Morgan! Morgan! Good girl! +
He didn't turn around, but shouted behind him.

+Bring that thing here!+
【Which one? 】

The Spider Queen answered lazily and casually threw something at hand over.

+Not this one!+
The emperor threw aside the fishing net that was thrown to him.

+In the box! The black box! +
Morgan nodded, walked over to the box, opened it and searched it.

Then: She pulled out a... pistol?
【? 】

Just when the Primarch began to doubt for the second time whether there was something wrong with his brain, the impatient Lord of Mankind rushed back and snatched the pistol that Morgan had taken out.

Then he rushed back to the bow and fired six shots at the big marlin that was still struggling at the other end of the fishing rod.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

When the ancient cobalt blue figure that was larger than the Emperor suddenly lost its life on the sea, the Lord of Mankind turned around with some complacency and spoke lightly to his dazed off offspring behind him.

+ Smith & Wesson 610, a large mm revolver: the Terrans like to use it for bear hunting. +
Then, the Lord of Mankind stroked the dented cylinders with some nostalgia, and took out six more bullets from the pocket of his shorts.

+Classic .44 Magnum ammunition, the best choice for a 6.5-inch barrel. +
After saying that, the emperor pointed the gun towards the sea. With another gunshot, a small shark attracted by the smell of blood silently floated up.

+I didn't expect that I would even remember this matter. +
The emperor shook his head with some emotion.

+But it was indeed somewhat dangerous at the time, and one tragedy of Hemingway's was enough. +
After expressing his feelings, the Lord of Mankind turned to look at his still somewhat dazed offspring: The Spider Queen seemed to be trying hard to understand everything in front of her.

[You... um...]

Morgan organized his words.

Is this your memory?

+The happiest part. +
The Emperor threw the gun aside.

+Maybe this is the last time I experience them: there may really be no chance after this. +
Morgan nodded.

She could understand what the Emperor meant: in the face of the rebellion that was visible to the naked eye and the disruption of the Warp, even the Lord of Mankind would have no chance to breathe.

[So, is there something wrong with the network? ]

+That’s right.+
The emperor put away his fishing rod and dragged the huge marlin onto the boat.

+In fact, the situation is not that bad, but it is indeed at a stalemate. +
+I have been waiting for you to fall asleep for a while: this is the only way I can contact you now. +
+But you refused to sleep: I had no choice but to choose Guilliman. +
【…】

Morgan blinked.

She wisely didn't ask any more questions.

So, what is the problem?

+We'll talk about this when we get back. +
The Emperor waved his hand.

+I'll drive the boat back first. Time has no meaning in this space anyway. +
+We can start with...+
+Hmm? +
Suddenly, the Emperor's voice stopped.

Instead, there is the confusion of the Lord of Mankind.

+Morgan...my good daughter.+
There was also the sound of gradually becoming colder, gradually becoming more confused, gradually losing love and peace, and gradually starting to make the Spider Queen's back sweat drop by drop.

+Can you tell me...+
The Emperor looked at his only daughter: the old father’s right hand was shaking unconsciously.

+Where did the giant grouper weighing more than 400 kilograms that I just caught go? +
【…】

Morgan glanced at the rippling sea and said nothing.

(End of this chapter)