Man in Warhammer, starting Primarch.

Chapter 205-12, Ascensionists and Evangelicals (like a state religion)

Thick smoke billowed with fire fog, and the flames of war set the city of Alert Star on fire.

The thick pipes were crackling as they were burned by the flames, and amid the violent explosions, highly corrosive industrial waste gas swept around.

The magnificent hive city that once nurtured hundreds of millions of the Empire's citizens was now in ruins, with smoke and dust rolling down, drowning everything that had not escaped.

The blazing flames swept up the gravel, and the scorching smoke that was hot enough to burn the lungs filled the entire city.

The Dark Eldar, the smallest in number, fled the chaotic battlefield in panic, avoiding the crazy soil.

To them, Chaos Daemons are lunatics, Genestealers are lunatics, and Imperial soldiers are lunatics as well.

It was a carnival for lunatics, and the Dark Eldar seemed mediocre in comparison and failed to gain a foothold there.

But no matter where the thousands of Dark Eldar fled, they always encountered different enemies and were slaughtered without reason.

The demons used their fangs and claws to devour the fragile bodies of the Eldar alive. Then the Imperial missiles flew over, and the explosion of hot flames brought unimaginable huge shock waves.

Everything around was not spared, walls collapsed, ruins were everywhere, and the remains of the Eldar and demons were also crushed in the flames, scattered all over the ground as charred debris.

The defensive missile array in the city sounded a rapid "beep beep" alarm. In this battlefield filled with primitive violence, the roars of the strong and the wails of the weak intertwined to form a unique melody on the battlefield.

The state church priest stood on the huge steel chariot, gazing at the battlefield filled with smoke and blood. At this moment, the priest's body was also covered in blood, and the gaps between the steel spiked chains bound on the scepter were filled with broken bones and flesh.

After a long period of killing, the priest no longer had the initial madness and passion. After being tempered by blood and war, his heart gradually calmed down like a lake.

"The Warp is hell, and this universe is another hell." He said, "Only my Lord's Void Realm is the only pure land."

"Perhaps, the birth of this universe has no meaning at all."

The priest wiped the blood off his face and muttered to himself.

In this noisy and chaotic battlefield, the priest, with an extremely calm heart, began to think about crazy philosophy.

As the pastor's philosophical thinking deepened, he suddenly recalled, for no apparent reason, a quarrel that had taken place in the virtual realm not long ago.

About two years ago, as more and more imperial entities poured into the Void Realm, some people within the state religion suddenly discovered that even the Emperor's kingdom of heaven, this paradise called the Void Realm, was not perfect.

As the old saying goes - there is no such thing as a free lunch.

The energy within the virtual world is also not infinite. Using the energy in the virtual world to distort reality does not create this energy out of nothing.

The energy used by the Void Order comes from the absorption of the subspace. After rigorous investigation, the state religion finally discovered that the source coordinates of all energy all point to the huge black hole with a ring of fire in the highest sky.

With this discovery, the following situation becomes clear. With the unrestricted use of virtual energy and the increasing number of virtual entities, the energy required will naturally increase day by day.

The black hole entity with a ring of fire in the sky will inevitably expand its scope. That area of ​​thick darkness is the border of hell, which will continue to spread in the subspace and swallow up all existences along the way.

This will meet the growing energy needs of the Empire's virtual realm.

The vast and boundless space of the virtual world has no end, and the black hole with a ring of fire makes the state religion feel uneasy.

Meetings were held again and again within the virtual realm regarding the rationality of this black hole and the balance between energy requirements and black hole growth.

But all the discussions ended up in nothing.

Discussions turned into arguments, arguments turned into confrontations, confrontations led to divisions, and then evolved into two completely different and opposing churches.

——The top leaders of the state religion, known as the "Church of the Ascension of the Void Realm", implement the Emperor's thoughts. They believe that since humans have inherited the destiny to rule the galaxy, as the most outstanding race, they are naturally superior to all life.

They believe that there is no need to care about the existence of the Ring of Fire Black Hole, and ignore other races in the galaxy and even the entire universe, allowing the black hole to devour and satisfy the energy needs of the virtual world, thereby supporting human needs for the virtual world.

Since humans are destined to shoulder the manifest destiny of ruling the galaxy and are the most superior race, why should we care about the life and death of other lives?

——This argument was quickly accepted by the virtual entities, but soon, another voice with different ideas also emerged.

The pastor of the state religion known as the "Virtual Realm Gospel Church" scoffed at the remarks of the "Ascendance Sect".

They also obey the will of the Emperor and believe that as a superior race far superior to anything created by God, it is one of their responsibilities to spread the gospel to the entire Warp and even the entire universe.

What is the gospel?

The golden flame is the gospel, the thick and deep darkness is the gospel, and the final destruction is also the gospel.

Evangelicals believe that the state religion should not regard the Ring of Fire Black Hole as a source of energy, but rather as a symbol of the Emperor and establish its unique sacredness.

As energy demands and black holes grow, hasten this outcome and serve the Emperor faithfully.

The fastest spread of the Emperor's Gospel is achieved at the cost of frequent energy usage and constant residence in the void.

They also pointed out that the Ascended Faction only used Void Energy when needed, which was a sign of slackness in their faith in the Emperor.

Is it impossible to use virtual energy if there is no need?

And regard this behavior as a manifestation of 'selfishness'.

The state religion should treat all life in the galaxy equally, and let heretics and aliens be grateful for the Emperor's gospel as soon as possible.

The contradiction between the two churches is not irreconcilable, but the conflict of ideas has made the two sides irreconcilable.

"Maybe I should consider joining the Evangelical Church." The priest who was active on the battlefield of Vigilance Star was once a member of the Ascension Sect.

He once thought that the evangelicals' behavior of squandering the energy of the virtual realm without any need was purely out of boredom.

But now in this chaotic battlefield, his thoughts changed.

“Both the material world and the sea of ​​the soul are hells of suffering. Only in the gospel can we find eternal peace.” The pastor held the scripture in his hands devoutly. At this moment, a visible fire of the soul suddenly lit up from his body.

Covered by flames, he felt the energy of the virtual world continuously filling his body. His mental power was constantly transforming until his pupils were rendered pure white by the abundant energy. More mental power turned into substance, flowing out from his eye sockets and spreading in the air to form pure mist.

Evangelical pastors, almost always, are in this overloaded state, whether there is war or not.

In the past, he always believed that this kind of behavior of wasting virtual energy without restraint was not only hard work, but also a painful performance.

But now, when he felt the pleasure of the virtual world energy filling his whole body, he realized.

“This is a sacred practice.”

He walked slowly on the battlefield with scriptures in his hands. He walked very slowly, and every step required him to constantly adapt to the excessive energy in his body. His footsteps were on the dust of the battlefield, and every step left footprints of burning flames.

Suddenly, he raised his head sharply.

"Enemy attack!" the priest shouted to the imperial soldiers beside him.

Those mortal soldiers immediately turned their heads around, looking at the priest who was suddenly on fire, with easily discernible confusion in their eyes.

Their radars and detectors showed no enemy.

Where do the enemies come from?
Some soldiers even suspected that the pastor suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from the previous war.

Without any warning, his whole body suddenly burst into flames, and then he shouted "enemy attack", which is indeed consistent with the symptoms of battlefield trauma.

The pastor did not speak, he was still carefully feeling his surroundings.

The excessive energy overflowed from every pore of his body, and this overflowing energy naturally formed a huge energy field.

It is because of the existence of the energy field that the priest is able to sense those perfectly hidden enemies.

But the pastor had just made up his mind to join the Evangelical Church. He was not yet proficient in the use of energy fields and had to concentrate fully to maintain his awareness of the enemy.

The political commissar quickly ran to the pastor. Just as he was about to ask about the enemy's exact location, the sound of gunfire suddenly rang out.

Several steel flying dragon drones rushed out from the darkness, and their ferocious fuselages sprayed out scorching bullets, instantly covering the area where the priest was.

Even though the priest expanded the virtual energy shield to its maximum at the first moment, many soldiers were still inevitably seriously injured.

Screams sounded one after another.

The well-trained soldiers hurriedly sought cover, but unfortunately their flesh and blood bodies could not compare to those made of steel. The bullets hit them, bursting into bloody flowers of death.

In just a few breaths, the priest's team suffered heavy casualties.

"Don't panic, soldiers, take up your weapons and fight for the Emperor!" The priest attacked the iron dragon, boosting the morale of the army.

The sound of counterattack gunfire rang out continuously, the steel dragon roared in the shadows, and the sound of its engine was like the roar of a giant dragon.

These transformed demonic creatures are craving for more souls and blood.

But humans’ counterattack was so fierce that the dark sky was lit up by them, drones were destroyed one after another, and the devil’s unwilling whispers echoed in the void.

The priest looked at the destruction of the demonic creation without any joy on his face, because he perceived that there was something more worrying.

Amid the sound of heavy footsteps, a team of tall warriors in heavy armor walked out of the darkness.

They are the Iron Warriors, sons of the Daemon Primarch Perturabo.

They had captured fortress after fortress for the Empire, but now they were charging towards the Empire's army.

Their speed was so fast that ordinary people didn't even have time to react and were killed in an instant.

The priest's defense line was almost instantly broken by this iron army. He witnessed this scene and immediately took action.

The scepter in his hand ignited a red flame, which was the power of the Lord of Destruction. This scepter had a special origin. It was a divine weapon given to him by Dukel when he was chosen as the bishop assigned by the Primarch to participate in the defense mission on the Vigilance Star.

A destructive weapon from the Second Legion's factory.

"Heretic, the time of your destruction has come!" the priest roared and leaped out.

When he landed, the overloaded virtual energy in his body vibrated, leaving circles of spider-web-like broken marks on the ground.

The huge energy impact made it seem like a small earthquake occurred here.

Not far from him, six iron warriors appeared.

The priest knew well that the Iron Warriors were formidable opponents.

They have the strength of the Astartes, and the amplification given by the Primal Power.

Over the past ten thousand years, these heretics have been well-known both in the real universe and in the warp.

But the priest was determined to put an end to them.

Every enhancement technique he learned in the virtual world was being pushed to overload at this moment. The overly powerful force caused dense cracks to appear on his body. What flowed out of these cracks was not flesh and blood, but golden energy.

The red flame of the scepter burned brighter and brighter, and the violent energy was vented unrestrainedly.

The imperial soldiers around were all a little unsure of the reality of the scene before them.

They hid behind the bunker and witnessed with their own eyes that the priest brother, who usually fought with them and shared spoils and food, now transformed into a huge, burning and unyielding fireball and rushed towards the six iron warriors.

"boom!--"

A huge flame exploded, the aftermath shattered the ruins of the city, and the earth was shaking.

Even ordinary soldiers who were a hundred meters away had to lie prone on the ground on the battlefield to avoid being blown away.

In just a breath, the huge energy explosion caused by the attack of the Void Realm Priest blew away the Iron Warriors in front of him.

The two iron warriors were caught in the crimson flames, which wrapped around their bodies like long snakes. When they fell to the ground, their armor had melted, turning them into charred corpses.

The other four Iron Warriors fell heavily to the ground.

Such combat capability caused the battlefield to fall into silence.

The Iron Warrior fell to the ground with a look of horror as if he had seen a ghost.

From the other party's eyes, it can be seen that the pastor's power is far beyond their imagination.

Why?
They underwent nineteen operations and survived many life-threatening situations before becoming extraordinary warriors.

They betrayed the Imperium and followed the Primarch Perturabo to join Chaos, and only then did they gain the blessing of the original power.

But this pastor is obviously just a mortal, he has nothing!

Why is it so powerful?

This unscientific!

Faced with something beyond their understanding, they stood up carefully from the ground, as if they were not facing a mortal, but a monster they had never seen before.

No matter how unbelievable it is, the fight must go on.

Let’s kill this priest first.

At this moment, the Iron Warriors put aside their contempt for mortals.

This time, they are the challengers.

The imperial soldiers began to move closer to the priest, but the priest signaled them to stay back with his eyes.

The priest, carrying red flames, rushed towards the Iron Warrior.

After several rounds of fighting, chains bound with steel spikes hit the iron warrior's armor.

If it were any other mortal, even if they tried their best, they would not be able to use their weapons to break through the defense of the Space Marines' heavy armor.

But when the priest's staff hit him, the Iron Warrior's eyes showed deep fear.

The physical impact brought by the huge kinetic energy instantly caused his power armor to dent, and the red flames that ignited engulfed him completely.

Another Iron Warrior slain by mortal men.

The priest continued to move forward, and the other Iron Warriors were horrified and quickly pulled the trigger, firing at the mortal whose body was burning with flames.

But their bullets, which were blessed with the original great power, were so weak and powerless when they hit the priest.

Can't be shaken at all.

The pastor still walked towards them firmly and slowly.

This unstoppable spirit made the remaining three Iron Warriors realize that they could not win, and they decisively chose to evacuate.

The pastor stood there, watching their departing backs, with no intention of chasing them.

"Sir, leave the heretic to us to chase after."

The political commissar, who had been in a state of shock, did not come to his senses until the battle was over. He hurried over and asked the pastor for help.

But he was destined not to receive the pastor's answer.

"Plop!——"

A heavy voice rang out, and when the Iron Warrior's figure completely disappeared, the priest knelt on one knee on the ground of the battlefield.

Under the worried gaze of the political commissar, the priest used the fire in his hand to carve a sacred rune on the ground.

The political commissar recognized the meaning of this rune - it was the Imperial Beacon, and he had carried out the task of constructing the Imperial Beacon many times.

But he couldn't understand why the priest would draw this rune at this moment.

The political commissar's eyes turned sad as he saw the priest's fingers, which were outlining the runes, irreversibly collapsing.

Like broken porcelain, it dispersed into fleeting fireflies in the air.

"Your Excellency the Bishop, you..." The political commissar's words were filled with great sadness.

But before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the pastor's voice.

"Don't feel sad for me, soldiers, I will be with you." The priest smiled softly and looked at them deeply.

The rune was completed at this moment, and the priest's figure completely shattered and disappeared on the spot.

It was as if he had never been there.

The soldiers walked over in silence, with tears in their eyes, mourning the departure of the pastor.

Yes, how could using such a forbidden power be without any cost?

The priest sacrificed himself to protect them.

The political commissar wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and said solemnly, "His name is Jason, a noble bishop from the Terra Void Order. He is the respectable leader of our Gusga 582nd Regiment, our guide on the road to the throne, and our battle brother who we can trust with our backs. He..."

As the political commissar spoke, the soldiers recalled the teachings and help the bishop had given them, and their vision once again became blurred beyond their control.

Their sad emotions united.

Even in the subspace, one can clearly see this bright will coming together.

It was at this time.

Under the soldiers' horrified gaze, the virtual beacon rune left by the priest suddenly rose up with endless flames in their sorrow.

The flames outlined a portal about three meters in length.

Until they saw the figure coming out of the flaming portal, the horror in the soldiers' eyes was instantly replaced by great joy.

"Bishop Jason, you're back!"

"Your Majesty, thank the Emperor for bringing you to our side once again."

"Sir, you."

Jason smiled gently as he watched the warriors gather around him. He opened his arms as if to hug everyone present.

"Lost lamb, what are you doing standing here like an idiot? Have you forgotten the path the Emperor has set for us?" He continued with a smile, his eyes pure white, and flames rose from his body again.

"Come on, let us keep going until the fire of revenge is exhausted!"

"Yes! Your Excellency the Bishop!" the soldiers shouted in unison.

(End of this chapter)