From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 670 "He is indeed burning himself to illuminate the galaxy."

"The Mark of Chaos!"

A war maid immediately raised her greatsword with both hands, causing flames representing pure psionic energy to erupt from the blade and burn the symbol to ashes.

Athena's expression shifted, revealing a chilling killing intent mixed with disgust and resolute determination.

"Do you see that, Your Excellency? This is not a civil war, not a clash of ideologies, but a war of purification concerning the survival of intelligent species."

She took a step forward, her golden boots shattering a piece of corrupted crystal. "The Emperor's protection can sever the corruption of your nerve cords by Chaos, but only if you fight on the side of intelligent civilization."

Corey Tower's nerve cords flickered violently as the Consul's brain rapidly processed the information.

He looked around.
Although the warriors of Kales were exhausted, a new flame had been ignited in their eyes. The Dark Templars stood in silence, but clearly resonated with Athena's words.

Even the most xenophobic man-eating sharks put away their usual savage grins and seriously checked the condition of their weapons.

“We need time to consider.” He still hesitated somewhat. “The Protoss are not subservient to humanity, we…”

"Twelve hours," Athena interrupted him crisply. "The Empire of Man will assist in clearing out the remaining Taldarim on Kales. Give me your answer in twelve hours."

After saying this, the figure of the Goddess of War began to dissipate into countless particles of light.

But before she completely vanished, her last words were etched like a brand into the depths of every Protoss's consciousness:
"Remember, when darkness devours the stars, no race will survive alone."

The square was silent, except for the crisp, resonant sound of the newly formed Kedarin crystals in the breeze.

Corey Tower looked at Zeratul and noticed a light he had never seen before gleaming in the Dark Templar's eyes…

...

At this moment, only the Protoss Kares and Imperial warriors remained in the plaza of the floating city.

The Greek minor gods silently boarded the transport ship, their armor gleaming with a divine light under the glow of the star Kares.

The Astartes then regrouped into tactical squads, the mechanical sound of bolt carriers being loaded echoing crisply through the ruins.

Soon, the last Thunderhawk gunboat roared into the air, carrying Astartes' tactical squadron to other occupied territories.

Corey Tower watched the aircraft gradually disappear into the distance, his nerve cords twitching slightly.

He turned to Zeratul beside him, his deep blue eyes flashing with complex emotions.

“Zeratul,” he said in a low voice, making sure only the two of them could hear, “have you Dark Templar sworn allegiance to the Imperium of Man?”

"."

Zeratul's black robes swayed gently in the breeze, and his deep green eyes were as unfathomable as a deep pool.

He did not answer immediately, but instead raised his hand covered by bone armor, and void energy condensed at his fingertips into a constantly shifting shadow.

“Kressa,” Zeratul said slowly, “do you know that before we encountered the human empire, we thought Amon was the deepest fear of the Void?”

The "Dark Master's" fingers suddenly tightened, and the ball of void energy twisted violently, eventually transforming into a ferocious eight-clawed shape.

"But those beings in the chaotic subspace are a thousand times, ten thousand times more terrifying than Amon."

His nerve cords erupted in a rare outburst. "Amon at least pursued a twisted 'sublimation,' while the demons of the warp only craved games."

At the edge of the square, several Kares warriors who were resting unconsciously stopped what they were doing.

Zeratu's voice, though soft, pierced the nerve cords of every listener like an icicle.

"A single thought, a burst of anger, or even a brief moment of despair."

Zeratul's eerie green eyes stared directly at Corey Tower, "Even the slightest thing could cause ripples in the warp, allowing demons to sense your soul."

He pointed to the remains of a Taldarim mutant in the distance. “Look, even after the host dies, the corruption continues, so a thorough purification is necessary. We Protoss are like torches in the darkness to them.”

Corey Tower's scepter suddenly emitted a blinding blue light, and the consul's face contorted in shock.

"That's impossible!" His psionic energy surged, creating ripples. "You mean, those things would target us just because of emotional fluctuations?"

Zeratul's figure suddenly blurred, and the next second he was already twenty meters away.

There, there was a crystal shard tainted by a blackish-red slime.

His psionic blade grazed lightly, and the slime immediately emitted a shrill evaporation sound.

“They don’t pursue unity like Amon, nor do they crave to devour like the swarm.” The Dark High Priest’s voice was heavier than ever before. “Some demons like to corrupt flesh with plague, some are obsessed with twisting minds with lies, and some create massacres simply to enjoy screams.”

A piece of metal fell from the sky, kicking up dust between the two men.

Corres Tower suddenly realized that throughout Cares, the Tadarin corpses that should have been dead were still wriggling slightly, as if countless invisible parasites were burrowing under their skin.

“But they will die, won’t they?” a young Kares warrior couldn’t help but interject, “just like we kill those mutants.”

"die?"

Zeratul suddenly let out a bitter laugh. "The banished demons will only return to the warp to rest, waiting for the next foolish soul to whisper to the darkness."

His psionic blade suddenly pierced the ground, pinning down a black and red tentacle that had somehow spread to the feet of the group. Clearly, this was a "masterpiece" deliberately left by Athena, so that Zeratul could give a "demonstration" to the Protoss of Kales.

Zeratul continued, "And this is the most terrible truth—this war will never end."

As soon as he finished speaking, the square fell into an eerie silence; even the wind stopped.

Corey Tower's scepter slipped from his hand, making a crisp clinking sound on the crystallized ground.

The governor's silver armor seemed to have suddenly lost all its luster, and his nerve cords hung limply on his shoulder armor.

Behind him, dozens of Kares warriors stood frozen in place, some even unconsciously taking a step back.

“So,” Corey’s voice was dry, like sandpaper scraping, “even the purest psionic flames can’t truly kill these demons?”

Zeratul's psionic blade traced a ghostly green path through the air, severing another black and red tentacle that Athena had deliberately left behind and that was trying to get closer.

The severed tentacles twisted and rolled on the ground, emitting a shrill cry like that of a baby.

“Burning can only purify the contaminated body.” The Dark Priest’s voice was heavy as lead. “It’s like cutting weeds, but it can’t hurt the roots buried deep in the ground.”

A biting cold wind suddenly swept across the square, dispersing the smoke and dust that hung over the city.

When Corey Tower looked up, he noticed that the light of the Cares star had dimmed considerably, as if some unseen force was devouring the light.

“They feed on emotions,” Zeratul continued, his eerie green eyes sweeping over each Protoss warrior. “Anger, fear, despair, and even excessive joy and excitement—all become nourishment for them.”

His bone-armored gloves suddenly clenched, and void energy burst between his fingers. "The most ironic thing is that they deliberately maintain a certain balance, just like a shepherd won't kill all his sheep."

A young Kares warrior suddenly collapsed to his knees, his nerve cords uncontrollably pulsating with fear.

“Then wouldn’t we…” his voice trembled, “be forever just domesticated livestock?”

Zeratul's figure flashed like a ghost to the young warrior's side, placing a hand on the other's shoulder armor.

“No.” The Dark Patriarch’s voice suddenly became firm. “This is the meaning of the existence of the human emperor.”

“Zeratul,” the consul suddenly spoke, his voice regaining some of its composure, “you just mentioned the Emperor’s patronage. What exactly does it take?”

Upon hearing this, the Dark Templar returned to the Archon's side, took the crystal from his waist, and gently clenched it in his palm.

Surprisingly, the crystal did not break; instead, countless tiny golden lines emerged.

He handed the crystal to Corey Tower, “Imagine your soul is a castle, and the emperor doesn’t ask you to tear down the walls, but to put guards at the gates.”

The moment the governor received the crystal, his nerve cord suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light.

The Kares warriors present all took a step back in unison—the light was so pure that even the few remaining black and red stains on the edge of the floating city began to smoke.

“This is…” Corey’s voice was filled with awe.

“Pure psionic energy,” Zeratul explained. “It originates from the power of the human emperors. Moreover, the emperors do not require you to eliminate your emotions, but rather to have faith in the empire and the emperors, to build a buffer zone for your souls and prevent them from being swallowed by darkness.”

? !
A chorus of exclamations rose and fell across the square.

The soldiers looked at their governor, watching the golden light they had never seen before flow through his nerve cords.

Some people subconsciously reached out and touched their nerve cords, as if imagining what it would feel like to be protected like that.

"What is the price?" Corey Tower suddenly asked, his eyes sharp as knives under the golden light. "The Emperor does not bestow such favors without a reason."

Zeratu let out an almost bitter laugh and said:

"Always vigilant, always fighting, but then again, isn't that the Protoss's inherent creed? However, I think the Emperor may simply want to protect humanity, and incidentally include us intelligent species, in order to solve all darkness once and for all."

Corey Tower's fingers gently caressed the crystal with its golden patterns, his brow furrowed deeply, and the light flowing between his nerve cords flickered.

“I do not doubt the Emperor’s power,” his voice was low and cautious, “but I cannot believe that a leader of a race would offer help without reason, granting protection solely based on ‘faith’? No taxes, no slavery, and not even the need for us to be cannon fodder in the war?”

Zeratul's eerie green eyes flickered slightly as he raised his bone-armored hand, void energy coalescing at his fingertips into a holographic image—

Those are the ruins of the Korhal Palace. In the image, Athena holds the Spear of Victory aloft, while a blurry yet incredibly majestic golden figure floats in the sky.

"Although I have not personally met the Emperor in person."

The Dark High Priest's voice carried an unusual reverence, "But at the moment of Mengsk's execution, his psionic projection descended across dimensions, at that very moment..."

Zeratul's nerve cords trembled uncontrollably. "I saw visions of heaven and hell—countless sinful souls wailing in the magma, while the souls of the pious turned into stars and merged into some magnificent network."

The image suddenly shifted, revealing a scene that took all the Kares warriors' breath away:
Amon's distorted void body was pierced by countless golden chains, Athena's spear pierced its core, and a golden figure larger than a star looked down on this war of gods.

The consul's knees bent slightly, then he forced them straight.

"Is this what you witnessed in Khar?" His voice was terribly dry.

"not only that."

Zeratul displayed new images showing Flame Lizard warriors escorting civilians to safety and Superman soldiers carefully helping injured children. "Look at how they treat the weak."

Old friend…

As Zeratul spoke, he crossed his arms over his chest, and his voice suddenly became incredibly clear, “The choice before us is simple.”

To become a plaything of chaos, watching one's people turn into mindless zombies in eternal torment? Or to grasp the hand extended by humanity, at least…

His gaze swept over all the Protoss present. "To give the next generation the opportunity to see the real starry sky?"

"... "

Upon hearing this, Corey Tower said nothing, but removed his helmet, revealing a face covered in ancient battle scars, and placed the nerve cord on his forehead directly onto the golden crystal.

In an instant, dazzling golden light cascaded over his entire body like a waterfall, and patterns identical to crystal appeared on the governor's silver armor.

"I saw."

The consul's voice suddenly became ethereal, "That figure sitting on the golden throne... He is indeed burning himself to illuminate the galaxy."

As the golden light faded, a blue psionic tear slid down the governor's cheek. "What a lonely watch."

Zeratul nodded silently, his deep green eyes reflecting the golden patterns on Corey's armor.

"Twelve hours later..."

Corey Tower put his helmet back on, his voice regaining all its authority, "I will convene all the survivors for a vote."

But in the name of Archon Kares—he raised his scepter, the crystal at its tip now completely gold—" he declared, "I personally agree to join the Sanctuary Network of the Human Empire!"

As if in response to his declaration, the roar of machinery suddenly came from the depths of the suspended city.

The ancient Kedarin crystal array lit up one by one, projecting a holographic image of the planet Kales under the dilapidated dome.

The twelve still-fighting zones are marked in blood red, while seven golden dots begin to flicker on the ground, forming an ancient Protoss rune that means "Dawn is coming."

Zeratul's nerve cords trembled slightly: "Kares is responding to your decision."

The consul did not answer.

He turned to look at the sky, where a golden curtain of light was slowly unfolding across the heavens—

It was the Nerva's orbital-class psionic shield that enveloped the entire planet.

The resonance between the light curtain and the Kedarin crystal created a magnificent aurora borealis among the clouds, and the dark red, chaotic haze was gradually retreating in its glow…

...

(End of this chapter)