Warhammer: I don't want to be a stinky can! ! !

Chapter 845 [287.] Lian Zi
"What on earth is he thinking about?"

The Emperor's voice gently crossed the deck. The black-haired man stood at the bow with his head held high, his eyes firm as he looked at the sea of ​​stars in front of him.

Behind him, the Wolf King stood silently. The entire fleet was now in the waves of the subspace. A strange and powerful force materialized, like millions of giant hands pulling at their ship, trying to silence it.

But a kind of violent golden light shone from the Emperor, and with unquestionable strength, the golden flame covered these ships like an invisible protective shield - ensuring the smooth progress of the fleet.

The entire fleet was like a sharp golden sword, breaking through the flesh and blood of the giant monster of the subspace.

Ruth was silent for a moment, and then an inexplicable snoring sound came from his throat, just like a snort.

[You mean... another emperor is still alive? ]

"Alive and never dies."

Neos blinked, and the golden light in his eyes was temporarily obscured.

“Live and keep drawing.”

"Alive, in pain, angry—does he want true destruction?"

Amid the eerie howling of the subspace, Neos went down, as if closing his eyes to rest, and then he opened his eyes calmly.

"Do you have any memories of my other self, Ruth? Tell me."

【? ! 】

Russ opened his eyes wide in astonishment, and then the Primarch began to rack his brains to think about his past memories -

But what puzzled him was that even though he had been personally educated by another [Emperor] in his childhood, it did not leave a clear memory in his mind. Only some unforgettable emotions remained, which still shrouded his heart like a haze.

【Forgive me, All-Father.】

Russ whispered, "I really can't remember - maybe you can ask the Khan."

Neos waved his hand lightly, no longer dwelling on this topic, and quickly jumped to the current situation.

"We will immediately join up with Horus' army. After joining up - I can ensure that the army will attack Terra directly."

"But after arriving at Terra,"

Neos' expression remained calm.

"I can no longer provide any more assistance, Russ. My strength will be depleted in the previous landing battle. The mission of breaking through Terra's defense will be handed over to you. This time, I will only allow success, at any cost, my wolf."

Russ's face sternly appeared, and the Primarch immediately knelt on one knee, offering his loyalty to the man in front of him.

[Your descendants and legion will win victory for you at all costs - I will inform the Khan next.]

The emperor nodded, remained silent, and then added another sentence.

"Before the landing battle on Terra, I need to talk to the two Horus."

He said, the light in his eyes hard to discern.

................................................

The Lord of Darkness.

The Lord of Darkness.

The Lord of Darkness.

It turns out my real name is the Dark Lord.

Unfortunately, I didn't know this before.

................................................

【past】

【Terra】

The young Primarchs were still sleeping in their dormitories. In the circular hall connecting all the Primarchs' dormitories, there was a chair placed in the center. A middle-aged man was sitting silently on it, with his black hair slanting down, like real darkness in the dim light.

The Emperor's eyes sparkled in the darkness, his expression uncertain, but from certain angles he looked inhuman, like a mask made of pure gold.

The night is very quiet and silent.

“After they were born, I felt like I was changing.”

After a long time, a soft whisper quietly fell in the hall.

"Something more subtle, more subtle—a change in my soul that I have seldom noticed since the Silence of the High Heavens."

"Is it because I became a father? Or is it because I finally decided to revive the human race?"

A question was asked without expecting any answer, the questioner was just entertaining himself, but a rustling sound was heard from somewhere, and then a warm yellow candlelight gently lit up in the night. The Emperor's eyes did not blink, and behind him, the hunched-over Malcador came.

“Maybe it’s both.”

The old man laughed dryly.

"Nyos...you've changed a lot since I last saw you."

"I also have this realization. Demonic Patterners always need to make too many choices and concessions on the road to the sea of ​​stars."

Malcador fell silent, the candlelight in his hand illuminating his face, making the wrinkles on his face look more tortuous.

"But I don't expect you to become like this, old friend."

The old man spoke softly, as if to avoid the King's curious and probing gaze, Malcador looked towards the door where the Primarchs were sleeping.

"You are too harsh on them. You are not a qualified father."

Malcador muttered, as if in a dream.

"I never expected to be a qualified father, and they don't have to be qualified sons. The Primarch is my sword reaching out to the sea of ​​stars, and they just need to be the most suitable weapons in my hands."

"Then you don't have to give them emotions."

"..."

“… I need to make it so that they can understand humans—they don’t have to understand me, but they need to understand humans.”

absurd.

Malcador shook his head, and when he felt the Emperor's gaze withdraw, he glanced at him again, but his eyes only cautiously glanced at the edge of his king's robe.

"…How do you feel now?"

"what?"

"You can't hide it from me, Neos... Haven't you noticed the changes in your soul?"

"..."

“…I noticed it and was clearly aware of it.”

The Emperor said calmly, his eyes were filled with darkness and nothing else could be seen.

Only he himself could describe exactly what he was going through, but he never spoke of this change to anyone - no one would know how the Emperor felt, and he would never tell the truth.

"I felt this echo from the future - from one of my descendants, and from this echo throughout time, I knew I had reclaimed the galaxy."

Makado's fingers holding the lamp twitched inadvertently.
"We finally succeeded?"

The old man asked,
"You finally succeeded in establishing a human empire that occupied the entire galaxy?"

After a moment's silence, the Emperor nodded.

“I think my change came from that.”

He said that his expressionless face, which was like a mask, showed a hint of imperceptible frustration.

"An empire that unites the entire galaxy, a centrally powerful political system, Malcador, I don't need to tell you, you also know what this means to the person at the center - the High Heaven has never given up watching me." "So what is your answer?"

Malcador felt the end of his voice tremble. The Emperor was clearly aware of his own changes, but he still allowed it to continue to develop, and it even began to affect his character and behavior.

The Emperor remained silent, staring calmly at the twenty closed doors in front of them.

"That is my answer, Malcador."

................................................

I felt more and more miserable.

Ever since I saw my first offspring, the pain that followed me like a shadow had already begun quietly. I first felt a stabbing pain, and then, it was a sharp pain that went straight to my bones.

I objectively believe that this pain is enough to make the best thunder warrior under my command turn pale, sweat profusely and faint on the ground.

But fortunately, I had endured a lot of pain in the past, so I was able to endure it and didn't even show the pain. I stood in front of the quietly sleeping embryo. I was unusually silent, but my face didn't show much joy.

My attitude seemed to have aroused dissatisfaction from Erda, who was sitting next to me. This wise lady later expressed her views to me tactfully, but I had no time to pay attention.

That day, I hurriedly left the laboratory where the Primarchs were cultivated.

I realized that something had changed drastically, along with my soul - a change that had occurred since the embryos that filled the power of the Warp were created.

This premonition comes from the Warp, from the High Heavens.

I plunged my gaze into the Warp, trying to find the answer, but the Chaos that I thought might be suspicious did not cast their gaze here - their souls were still pure.

This influence... pollution... blessing... comes from the future.

The Highest Heaven has proved forever that when you wrote the beginning of the story, the ending was already determined. Now, the pages that symbolize the ending are quietly floating on the chapter at the beginning of the story. When the light shines down, the shadows of those words are reflected on the current pages.

It is vague enough that one cannot read the words and sentences carefully.

And this is the beginning. I subconsciously raised my head and looked towards the laboratory where the original embryo was located.

The twenty-one offspring I created.

They will write an unconcealable stroke for my pain at this moment, and lay an absolutely solid foundation for the revival and glory of the empire. They create pain and they create glory.

And now, I still have the choice to repaint the beginning of the story.

Although the cost of giving up now is already huge enough, and the price of creating twenty-one demigods is beyond imagination, it still seems not too late compared to the horrifying illusion that will float above my head in the future.

But will those terrifying, disturbing, painful futures that I cannot clearly see really happen?
My empire is still young. These twenty-one primarchs will be my sharp blades for conquering the galaxy and the greatest asset for humanity's future revival. Without them, what weapons should I choose?
……

I feel bored.

I feel pain.

I have rarely felt so uneasy and hesitant. This seems to be the impact that the future changes have brought to me. This is not a choice that can be easily decided. Amidst the hesitation, I unknowingly came to my hometown.

The rivers that once flowed here have long dried up, the darkness that killed my relatives has long passed, and only the wind is whistling, flowing over this desolate desert, tearing at my long hair.

I think of the river that used to flow, the river that nourished countless fields, the shells of various shapes on the river bank, the moist soil, and my father, but they have all disappeared in the long river of time, and only their sons will vaguely remember them tens of thousands of years later.

The river did not know that it had nurtured me, an emperor destined to be recorded in human civilization.

It also does not know that it is the civilization it has nurtured that has nurtured me and raised me. Human joys and sorrows, human endless life, those abstract existences that cannot be molded out of the wet mud on the river bank have survived forever and continued in me who is now strolling on its old site.

I raised my head and looked at the starry sky like I did when I was a child.

That night, the night before the entire great human empire set sail, I thought a lot.

The unspeakable pain inflicted upon me never ceases, and I have a feeling that it will only grow unless I rewrite the beginning.

Pain makes people think and feel.

I tried my best to think about the possible future - why is it so painful? The biggest possibility is that after the human empire is forged, as the master of mankind, I will be forced to ascend to godhood due to the influence of the warp.

But there is no way I can become a god, as becoming a god means the destruction of the entire human race.

Deep underground in the palace, the golden throne nestled in the maze is my final answer to this future.

If humanity is completely unified, and if this outcome is inevitable, I will choose my own outcome myself, and it will never be ascension to godhood - even though I feel this possibility is being nurtured in my soul since the birth of the Primarch.

Then this pain may also come from the Golden Throne - my future self chooses to sit on it, and then this pain will last throughout my life.

...Can the Golden Throne cause people to feel such intense pain, so intense that it feels as if the entire galaxy is crying?
I don't know yet.

Or maybe, I was killed, just like my father, by my closest relatives, and the painful scream at the moment of my death traveled through time and space and reached my soul at this moment.

This is indeed possible - after all, I am confident in the recovery of the galaxy. Even without the Primarch, perhaps I will still recover most of the galaxy, so my pain is not necessarily caused by the recovery.

It was because of the Primarchs. After all, the pain came with their appearance.

But... is it because of my recovery of the galaxy? I can't jump to conclusions so rashly. If I announce the destruction of the Primarch now, the time of the Great Crusade will be delayed - this is intolerable. I must be responsible for the entire empire.

Of course, my friend Erda would probably blame me for this.

Standing in the wind, I pondered quietly all night until Elda contacted me and asked me to return to the original laboratory immediately.

Up to that moment, I think I was still inclined to destroy the Primarch in my heart. After all, I could not ignore the uneasy omen. I could not tolerate a future where the Empire might perish. Everything that existed in the Warp was necessary.

Even if it means delaying the Great Crusade and causing confusion among my friends, I will still do this.

Then I strode into the familiar laboratory——

The culture dish that was once filled with nutrient solution is now empty, with only the waste liquid that had been sucked out and abandoned at the bottom of the dish. I shifted my gaze away from the scattered waste liquid and looked at Erda, who was smiling and walking towards me quickly.

"Look, Neos, this little fellow's eyes really look like yours."

She thrust the baby in her arms into my arms with a determination that could not be refused - women often have extremely strong talents in this regard, especially when they are holding a newborn. If I refused, Elda would probably tear me to pieces - even if she couldn't beat me at the moment, she would rush over to duel with me.

Then, a soft, warm, and slightly wet little hand grasped the ring finger of my right hand.

I lowered my head and saw the pair of smiling eyes looking at me curiously.

……

"How's it going? Say something, Neos."

[Erda] frowned as he watched the [Emperor] merely glance at his child, and then, with an expressionless face - one could even say disgusted - he put the angelic child back into Erda's hands.

The corners of the eyes of this little guy abandoned by his father suddenly turned red. He stared at his father's departing back in such confusion that Erda felt that the little Primarch was about to cry.

"What?! You don't want to give him a name, Neos?!"

"Call them by their numbers first."

I strode out of the lab, feeling my soul boiling with pain - but I ultimately chose not to stick with my original idea.

I think I might love my kids.

I love Empire.

I love humanity.

Even though my soul is in extreme pain now - I think my destiny and future will probably be like this, I will sacrifice for what I love, this is the source of all my pain and all my anxiety.

I will try my best to avoid the worst future, the future in which humanity falls, but as long as I do not choose to ascend to godhood, all the pain I am experiencing now and at this moment will prove my future success - the human race will eventually be unified.

at that time.

I don't know yet that what I love, what I love deeply, what I sacrifice everything for,

In the distant future, no one will choose me.

But it doesn’t matter, because in my plan, the first person to give up was myself.

I paid the price for it.

(End of this chapter)