Emperor's Bane

Chapter 964 I outsmarted you, and you outsmarted my scheme.
For a moment, Hector was forced to seriously consider a question.

If, just if: his genetic mother and the human lord to whom he served clashed.

So which side should he stand on?

Is it the original?
Or... the Emperor?
"..."

For any Astartes warrior, this is a choice more difficult than death itself.

If forced to choose, the vast majority of Astartes warriors would unhesitatingly sign up for the next suicide mission and fervently pray that they would never return and never have to face such a choice: death is no threat compared to the unwavering loyalty they would have to abandon.

As the emperor's angels and humanity's sharpest blade, Astartes never fear death. In fact, it could be said that their innate mission is to die on the battlefield, and death is the last and most important step for them to realize their self-worth: from the day they are born, no Astartes has ever died peacefully in bed.

To die in battle is the fate of the Astartes; an Astartes who does not die on the battlefield is considered unfortunate.

However, if someone were imprisoned in the Dreadnought, almost permanently stripped of the right to die a glorious death, even the most mild-mannered Astartes would become furious: no matter how much the Empire and the Legion respect these old-timers of the Dreadnought, if you let those company commanders or sergeants who constantly sing praises of this spirit of sacrifice enter the Dreadnought before their death, they would still curse this so-called self-sacrifice.

Unless the person is already seriously injured and unconscious, every fearless burial ceremony will be accompanied by the person's incessant insults and desperate struggles.

But even such a terrifying thing seems insignificant compared to the choices Hector now faces.

Only the most extreme, stubborn, and ignorant Astartes warriors would unhesitatingly choose their allegiance between their Primarch and the Emperor: these people either harbor great prejudice against their Primarch and yearn for the days when they fought under the Emperor, or they have never witnessed the Emperor's majesty and regard the Lord of Man as an ancient legend far away.

Unfortunately, like all warriors who had participated in the Great Expedition, Hector did not belong to either category.

The gene seed that granted him extraordinary power also carried an innate reverence for the Primarch, the "bloodline progenitor": a physiological instinct that even Astartes' superhuman steely nerves could not overcome. From the first moment Hector saw his Primarch, there was no way he could disobey him.

Even if Morgan ordered him to commit suicide now, Hector would not hesitate any longer: when his head would fall would depend on how long it would take him to pull out his own blade.

Logically speaking, no power in the universe can compare to the loyalty of the Astartes to the Primarchs, but the Emperor is the only exception. The Lord of Mankind has the ability to take away at least half of the Legion and their loyalty from any Primarch at any time.

Even in the Dawnbreakers, a private domain seemingly impenetrable by Morgan, and even for a newcomer like Hector who wasn't actually born in Holy Terra, had barely seen the Emperor, let alone fought alongside him, the thought of the Primarch ordering him to betray the Emperor still filled Hector with a deep-seated loathing.

This aversion did not stem from his physical nature, but rather from an indelible mental fastidiousness: the inevitable brainwashing and indoctrination following the Astartes surgery had already etched his loyalty to the Empire deep into his bones, rivaling the Primarch's innate influence.

Yes, he and his fellow warriors didn't usually show much respect to the Emperor, and when addressing him, they were used to putting the Primarch's name before the Emperor's: even those veterans of Terra with impeccable revolutionary credentials could already fluently say "those Terrans" and proudly categorize themselves as citizens of the Far East frontier.

But no matter how reckless they usually are, it's just the Dawnbreakers' fearlessness. They know how important their mother is behind the scenes, and they never doubt that they are on the Emperor's side. Therefore, they can make some jokes without restraint: even the Emperor has no right to restrict all their freedom.

Hector had always thought this way.

He was also quite certain that his idea was shared by the vast majority of the Dawnbreaker Legion.

Leaving aside the true veterans of Terra and those like him who have at least seen the Emperor, even the relatively inexperienced recruits in the Legion have a full understanding of and loyalty to the Lord of Man.

No matter how arrogant and disrespectful the Spider Queen may appear to be towards her Father of Genesis, she has never made a mistake in her actions: while the recruits of other legions had completely lost their concept of the Lord of Man after the Great Crusade, the Dawnbreaker Legion maintained its education in loyalty to the Emperor.

Whether it's learning about the Emperor's deeds or truly experiencing the scenes of the Legion fighting alongside the Emperor in the holographic projector, the new members of the Dawnbreakers maintain a minimum level of loyalty: if they were forced to choose between the Primarch and the Emperor, although very few would rebel against the Primarch for the Emperor, the resulting ideological and moral upheaval would still be enough to trouble the entire Second Legion.

Just like Hector is now.

As this giant, over four meters tall, lingered on the edge of the conflict between the Primarch and the Emperor, Hector, who had been a silent killing machine in the war against the Comoros, was now no different from a helpless child: he dared not speak, nor dared to breathe heavily, his enormous mind filled with confusion and emptiness.

He simply couldn't understand why this nightmare was happening, nor could he imagine what even more terrible things might happen next: especially when her Mother of Genes resolutely shouted those rebellious words in front of the Emperor, the resolute Hector almost fainted on the spot.

Is the life of a Dawnbreaker warrior more important than the grand ambitions of the Lord of Man?

Yes, those words are indeed touching.

However, as someone who was partly involved, Hector, the Dawnbreaker, felt no emotion whatsoever.

He felt only deep fear.

This seemingly benevolent statement, even under the most lenient imperial laws, and even in the eyes of those unbridled prodigals, has absolutely crossed the most basic red line of the empire: it is an outright rebellious statement of disloyalty to the emperor, a treasonous slogan that only the most audacious madmen would utter.

Any Primarch, whether loyal to Dorne or the radiant Horus, who dares to utter such words in public, placing the lives of his offspring above the Emperor's goals, will be regarded as a traitor by everyone in the galaxy, even if he has done nothing else. Primarchs who wish to plead for him and those who desire to punish him will simultaneously use his madness as a justification for exoneration or killing.

And if such words were spoken in front of the emperor...

Cold sweat trickled down the back of the giant's neck.

He began to think in despair.

Should he simply kneel down, crawl on his hands and knees before the Lord of Mankind, and explain to him that the Primarch was only somewhat mentally unstable due to the intense work he had been doing?

We should just charge straight in and see if his body, which can withstand direct artillery fire, can hold off the Emperor's rage and give his Mother of Genes a chance to breathe one last breath of fresh air.

Large beads of sweat dripped from Hector's fine eyelashes into his pupils, causing an unbearable itch, but the Dawnbreaker had no time to pay attention to them: he knew he had to make a decision as quickly as possible, as the wrath and punishment of the Lord of Mankind might come before his next heartbeat.

So he resolutely raised his head: he already had the answer to that question in his heart.

Primarch? Or Emperor?
He will not betray the emperor.

But he will face it together with the Primarch.

Despite his fear, Hector refocused his gaze on the face of the Lord of Mankind.

Prepare to face his wrath.

His ruthlessness.

His power.

And...his smile...

"..."

Ok?
and many more?

Before the Dawnbreaker's ambition could cool down even slightly, something that should never have appeared in his field of vision pierced his mind, instantly turning his thoughts into a jumbled mess.

+Hehehe...+
Completely ignoring Hector's bewildered gaze, the Lord of Mankind simply chose to laugh off his only daughter's rebellion, as always.

On this barren land, which the stingy Mechanicus had scraped clean to the point where not a single pebble remained, the Lord of Mankind was without any servants. Even the tunnel boring machine, which he regarded as his own, was stationed in the distance. Apart from the rather unlucky Captain Hector, this place was now just a conversation between the Emperor and his only daughter.

In such situations, the Lord of Humanity has never cared about saving face.

Even if Morgan slaps her, punches her, or even draws his nemesis's blade, as long as there is no trace of warp energy on her, the Emperor will helplessly regard it as work-related grudges: the same thing has happened to Macado before, and the Spider Queen is already considered to be good-tempered.

For an emperor who is known for his clear system of rewards and punishments, given Morgan's past achievements, even if she were to slap herself in public, it would simply be seen as an outstanding employee suddenly deciding to balance her merits and demerits.

As for matters in private, the emperor's most severe retaliation was nothing more than verbal sarcasm.

So, you want to act on your own?
The Lord of Mankind summarized the Spider Queen's lengthy discourse in the most concise language, and then added his evaluation.

I thought so many years had passed.
You could have been more mature.
At least he won't act impulsively like your brother.
But now it seems that perhaps the time I spent with you was indeed too short: it gave me this illusion.
I don't think so.

Compared to the Emperor's calm demeanor, Morgan exuded a more intense aura of death: she placed her long, slender hands behind her back, took a few steps forward, and began to slowly circle in front of the Emperor.

Subconsciously, the Lord of Humanity did the same.

In the blink of an eye, the Primarch and the Emperor's shadows had moved away from Hector. Having assured that his offspring would no longer cause him any psychological distress, the Lord of Dawn then spoke. [A man's self-determination at ten years old is a different matter from a man's self-determination at thirty.]

The former is nothing more than childishness and immaturity.

The latter, however, is simply taking responsibility for themselves.

+Responsible? +
The word made the emperor laugh: he continued to spin around with his daughter at a steady pace.

Morgan.
If I remember correctly.
+The day I presented you with the war plan regarding Comoros, we had already considered the issue of establishing a second front during the war. +
You remember, right?
Of course I remember.

The Spider Queen nodded.

There is only one way to win a war.

That is: use your own strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses, while simultaneously preventing the enemy from using their strengths to attack your own weaknesses.

To paraphrase Napoleon: Don't do what your enemy wants you to do.

In the Battle of Comoros, our strengths and weaknesses were both extremely clear.

The advantage lies in the fact that the Dark Eldar lacks powerful psionicists capable of confronting us, and the Comoros themselves are fundamentally incapable of uniting.

[That's why we devised a plan to have me fully commit from the very beginning of the war, commanding all Imperial forces to concentrate their attacks on a single opponent. This would intimidate other powers and create a sense of complacency, thus preventing them from getting bogged down in a full-scale war with the entire Comorian sphere of influence.]

Compared to our advantages, our biggest disadvantage is our extremely limited troop strength. Even including the Mechanicus, our total force is a drop in the ocean compared to the maximum mobilization capacity of the entire Comoros: even the disunited Comoros has the potential to defeat us.

Therefore, we must always avoid interacting with too many Comorian forces simultaneously, and even more so, we must not allow the Dark Eldar to form a unified alliance because they feel we are about to exterminate them.

Meanwhile, in order to alleviate the pressure of the battle on the front lines if necessary, and to prevent the Dark Eldar from devoting all their forces to fighting us, a contingency plan known as the Second Front was conceived.

The essence of this plan is very simple.

[A new front has been opened up somewhere in Comoros to divert their attention.]

This location could be the core territory of an ancient Comorian family, or one of the central districts of the Comoros. Of course, the Bloodlust base, which holds the power of life and death over the Comoros, is also included. Even if it doesn't attract the attention of other Comorian forces, simply holding back the Bloodlust's strength and resources would be enough to ease the situation on the front lines.

Moreover, if the Bloodlings are forced to halt operations due to a formidable invasion, they will be unable to continue providing life-sustaining services to the Dark Eldar. The Comoros Xenomorphs fighting on the front lines will also have to consider the fate of their souls after death, which will greatly diminish their enthusiasm and morale to continue fighting.

If the Bloodbringers fail to recover, even the most ancient Elven race might abandon the Comoros.

After all, while Comoros is currently one of the largest cities in the network, it's not the only option.

[There are other Eldar cities in the Webpath, some not much smaller than Comoros, where there are also Bloodwalkers and territories to settle: if there is an extra escape route when facing a formidable enemy, then the number of people willing to fight to the death will not be as many as we imagine.]

Sounds great, doesn't it?
The Lord of Humanity shook his head, but there was no joy on his face at the sight of this elaborate plan.

+And that's how it is. +
Why didn't we enable it from the beginning?
Because there are also many hidden dangers involved.

Morgan's expression turned serious.

No matter how domineering she was just now, the Primarch always managed to maintain a good composure when these important issues were brought up.

The most important issue is this: since the purpose of opening a second front is to alleviate the pressure on our front lines due to insufficient troops, it is impossible to continue deploying Imperial troops to this second front. We cannot send the already scarce Imperial Guard and Astartes to a dangerous area outside our control.

Therefore, those who land on this second front must be Comorian enemies other than ourselves.

[It could be green-skinned, or a space zombie.]

[Even... a demon.]

Or rather: the most likely candidates to appear in this second battlefield are demons.
The emperor patiently corrected him.

Since Ulanno, the Greenskins have lost their influence.
As for space necromancy?
We are not fully prepared yet.
+Demons, only demons. +
They have ample manpower; they are on high alert.
And more importantly...
+If you, the darling of this pleasure-seeking prince, were to open a portal leading directly to the depths of warp in a land teeming with Eldar, I simply cannot imagine why the Silver Palace's army wouldn't pour out in full force.
Even the Dark Prince himself wouldn't be able to maintain his already limited rationality under such double temptation.
You're still young, Morgan.
+You have no idea how much madness the Eldar's souls can drive Slaanesh and their loyal servants.+
+But once Slaanesh joined the battle.
How could we possibly expect the other three to choose to continue standing by and watching?
Don't forget.
They were already furious because of the internet.
All these years, they've been waiting for one opportunity: an opportunity to destroy it all.
However, the location chosen by the Netway tunnel boring machine was exceptionally well-chosen: it was situated at the very heart of this new world created by the Old Ones, its structure extremely stable, and completely out of the reach of the Warp Gods.
+With their own strength, they can never reach the very core of the internet.
Honestly, without a tunnel boring machine, I would never have found such a perfect spot in my entire life.
+That's why the Chaos Gods could only watch helplessly as the Netway Project progressed: and now, you want to place all of this in an extremely dangerous position.
+You are about to lure the demon into the web. +
[It involves the introduction of Comoros.]

Is there a difference?
The Emperor smiled dismissively at Morgan's correction.

Isn't Comoros part of the online world?
+If demonic power enters this area, how can you guarantee it won't infiltrate our network?+
Don't expect there to be only one cockroach in the house, Morgan.
+Or there are no cockroaches at all.
+Or...+
The Lord of Humanity did not continue speaking.

But his attitude was already very clear.

Therefore, this is why I've been hesitant to make up my mind to start a second front.
It can indeed alleviate our stress.
But this also means we will have to introduce a force that is completely beyond our control.
+Not just demons. +
The same applies to the Greenskins and the Necromancers.
Releasing them into the net could potentially lead to consequences that are completely beyond our control.
Don't forget, the internet isn't a one-time thing.
It will continue to protect the entire human race for a long time to come, a thousand years, ten thousand years, until human civilization achieves a true technological breakthrough: stretching the span of time to such an extent that even the most dangerous possibilities will almost certainly come true.
Perhaps right now, demons, greenskins, and space necromancers cannot threaten humanity's web.
But what about a thousand years from now?
What about 10,000 years from now?
Who can guarantee that even the slightest crack won't undo all our current efforts?
【…】

The Spider Queen remained silent.

So, what you mean is...?

After a long while, she finally spoke with some difficulty.

"You don't intend to approve my request to establish a second front within the Bloodlink's base?"

Do you think this is reasonable?
The emperor did not directly respond to his only daughter, but simply asked her a question in return.

This is his most common answer.

This is also the best answer when dealing with Morgan.

The reason is simple: even if the Spider Queen is on the verge of losing control of her emotions and going crazy, her innate rational instincts will still function normally. No matter how impulsive or irritable Morgan may be, she will not trample on her rational calmness.

Like now.

Regardless of what is said verbally.

But Morgan remained clear that the life of a Dawnbreaker could not outweigh the future of humanity.

Even the lives of the entire Dawnbreaker Legion cannot outweigh the future of human civilization.

On this issue, even for just a one percent increase in probability, the Dawnbreakers must sacrifice the entire group for that one percent.

Moreover, it's just one person.

【I see……】

The Spider Queen took a deep breath.

She instinctively asked the last question: This is just the final step in the formulaic process.

So, your answer is...

------

+……+
I accept your request, Morgan.
Go do it, go open up a second battlefield.
I agree.
------

【…】

【what? 】

(End of this chapter)