Only You Know

Everything is passing away at this moment, and everything around you seems to be dissolving at this moment.

The pain stemmed from the impending explosion of his entire body, the regret of his unfinished mission, and the urgency to see Fulgrim vanish into the void.

At that moment, Kasgar could feel all the negative feelings that had once lingered around him disappear completely.

Peace remained in his heart.

Where is this?

In a daze, Kasgar opened his eyes.

Gold.

All things in heaven and earth were bathed in a golden light, and everything was enveloped by an even deeper, endless void.

There is no time, no space; it's as if nothing exists here.

"You're awake."

In this void, apart from Kasgar, who had just struggled to wake up from his coma, another voice came from in front of him.

Emperor.

The tall, golden figure of the other man formed a faint halo of light in Golden Light backlight. Although Kasgar did not hear his voice, the heavy and powerful words had already reached his heart.

"What time is it now, and where are we having this conversation?"

What do you want to tell me?

"And where is Fulgrim now?"

Kasgar asked quickly—this was the first person he had seen since waking from his slumber, and he needed to understand the situation as soon as possible.

Has ten thousand years passed and we entered the 40K era? Where are Fulgrim and his Sons of the Emperor now?

What was the ultimate outcome of the Horus Heresy?

Has everything changed because of his efforts?

Will the Imperium of Man become better with his help over the past two hundred years? Can this world escape its fate as a cesspool?

Or is it that he, a mere mortal, is nothing more than a speck of dust in the long river of time in this universe, and that his attempt to change his inevitable fate is simply wishful thinking?

"We are still in the thirtieth millennium."

All the ideas that Kasgar had in his mind were instantly rejected by the other party.

It's not over yet.

The Emperor, clad in golden armor, declared, "Horus and his Traitor Legions have surrounded Terra. With the warp blocking our Warp, time and space are frozen in this moment."

With the help of Kasgar, the rebel army's fighting strength was greatly weakened - not only was Horus the only Primarch who came to besiege Terra left, but also Alpharius, who was rarely seen.

Even the legions that came to his aid were only a few Astartes leaders from traitorous legions.

"Then they have no chance of even getting into Terra? Rogal Dorn and his Mount Array are still here; the Solar System can be completely defended!"

Kasgar said quickly, somewhat excitedly.

Doesn't this mean that the epic battle between the Emperor and Horus might never happen again, and the future of the Imperium of Man might be—

"What you expected did not happen, and everything is going as usual."

The Emperor poured cold water on him.

After Curze arrived and teleported Kasgar and Fulgrim away, when Lunar Wolves —who was later renamed by Horus to the extremely unpleasant "Sons of Horus"—searched for the originally missing and unconscious Philus, everything except her silver arm had vanished without a trace.

Without the Primarch's command, the entire 10th Legion was leaderless and on the verge of a brutal civil war—

The Chaos forces of the Four Gods intervened in the infighting within the Iron Hands Legion, personally selecting the captain of the Sorog Clan, the most eager to avenge the Primarch, the Iron Father [Shadrak Medusa], blessing him and elevating him to the status of Daemon Prince, and choosing him as the leader of the entire Iron Hands.

Under the influence of Chaos forces, the Iron Ten Legion, which was originally on the verge of collapse, was melted back into one.

Medusa successfully completed his mission—after integrating the Legion and restoring the Iron Hands mechanical legion's production lines, even though the Primarch had disappeared, a steady stream of mechanical steel troops continued to pour out of the production lines.

Even under the influence of the whispers of Chaos, Medusa attached Philus's remaining silver Iron Hands to a mechanical construct, attempting to use this method to bring the Primarch back to the Legion.

However, this time, there was no Vulkan to smash it to pieces with a single blow.

Under the influence of the Chaos machine "Philus," the entire legion began to run wildly toward unstoppable corruption without end.

Even though the Primarch is no longer around, with the support of various dark technologies and the torrent of steel that keeps pouring out of the production lines like fast-moving products, the major battles in the Solar System still turned in favor of Chaos.

With an endless torrent of steel and a variety of wondrous gadgets from Philus's warehouse, the rebel army, led by Horus, the chosen one of the Four Gods, has already approached the walls of Terra.

"Now, Guilliman's reinforcements have been delayed for nine hours indefinitely, and everything on Terra is frozen in time."

"Unless I can finish this final battle with Horus, it will never end."

"The location is on the Vengeful Spirit."

Everything turned out the way Kasgar least wanted to see.

The final battle between Horus and the Emperor will still break out, and Sanguinius will still die at Horus's hands in order to fulfill the final prophecy.

It seems that everything he did in the more than two hundred years of the Great Crusade was in vain.

Did I fail?

He was filled with frustration.

"No. You've done very well, Kasgar."

You have done your best.

"The Webway Project has not completely failed. Although my children are scattered, there is still a possibility that they will come back to us in the future."

Most of the Primarch did not participate in the rebellion. Although they also harbored resentment towards the Emperor and the Great Crusade, they were equally wary of the power of Chaos.

As long as they do not offer their souls to the Chaos Gods, they can still rejoin the Imperium in the future.

—Except for Mortarion, nobody wants him.

"I"

"No need to say anything more."

It was a heavy yet gentle force that fell on Kasgar's shoulders.

The gentleness comes from the heart. The heaviness, however, lies in the responsibility.

"But it was still those nine Primarch Legions that rebelled."

Even the destruction inflicted on Terra by the Iron Hands far exceeded that of the Sons of the Emperor.

The Emperor was actually right.

If you really have to choose between Philus and Fulgrim, Philus and her terrifying Iron Hands are a card that should never be given to the Chaos side.

"Everyone has their own nature," the Emperor said, his face still displaying an inscrutable light in front of Kasgar.

"You want to save them, but you can't stop their predetermined fate of death except by making them suffer a complete defeat."

Take Magnus, for example. Even if Kasgar used all his strength to break him out of Tzeentch's plan, and repeatedly warned him of the dangers and horrors involved, it would still be a difficult situation.

Given the chance, he will still cause a major disaster in the next stroke of luck.

"We are all extremely confident people, and we all believe that we have the ability to save the world."

"For Primarch, perhaps only by falling in the same place twice can they truly feel the tragedy that will happen in the future."

Every Emperor will encounter his Magnus.

Of course, every Magnus will also encounter his Ahriman.

Everyone gets their just deserts.

"But you still insisted on the Great Crusade, and insisted on having the Primarch participate in this expedition."

Even if you already know that they will eventually turn against you.

"Kasgar said."

He could understand the Emperor, but he could not agree with his actions.

If he knew from the beginning that Horus Heresy was inevitable, and that he understood the nature of the Primarch —such as Magnus and those rebellious legions that were determined to go down a dark path—why didn't he take action against these guys in advance and extinguish them before they caused any trouble?

"And you also know that Horus is very likely to become a puppet vessel of Chaos, so why didn't you prepare in advance?"

"We can extinguish the source of Chaos —as long as the leader of the rebel legion is gone, we—"

"Look."

The Emperor pointed forward.

The lower level of the Hive City.

I don't know which planet Hive City it is, but it seems that there is not much difference between these things in the Imperium of Man: dilapidated machinery and metal constructs are surrounded by layers, and ugly buildings like junkyards lie haphazardly.

The foul odor of industrial waste gas mixed with the stench of rotting biomass soaked everything here.

This place, which may not seem like a human settlement, is the "home" that countless Imperium people rely on for survival, and which they can never leave in their entire lives.

Perhaps compared to the 40K era, the inhabitants of the 30K Imperium of Man could have an extra hour of rest time, and on celebratory days they might even be able to eat Grox meat patty distributed by the lords above instead of eating that unpalatable Corpse Starch for the rest of their lives.

The neighbors lived in relatively harmonious relationships. Everyone was an ordinary factory worker, though their appearances might vary greatly, rather than some bizarre cultists with four limbs and Eight-Pointed Star on their heads.

But the burden brought to them by the Great Crusade was not reduced at all, especially when the Emperor specifically chose to have them collect the Tithe.

[The workload will be increased by another 20% in the future to increase the resource investment for the Great Crusade, reclaim more worlds, for the Imperium!]

For the Emperor!!!

The workers' situation is deteriorating. With higher taxes, whether or not they are related to the Great Crusade, everyone will use this as an excuse to increase the workers' workload in order to squeeze more money out of these docile lower classes.

Why not use such a useful and effective brand name?

When all the new work is for the Great Crusade, who can raise objections, and who dares to obstruct the implementation of the Great Crusade plan?

All tax burdens will be borne by the people at the bottom of society.

The funds and resources funded under the guise of Tithe for the Great Crusade mostly ended up in the pockets of local nobles Governor, falling into their hands without any oversight.

The Great Crusade?

What a joke! After paying Tithe, isn't everything left yours?

A deeper round of exploitation from top to bottom, squeezing every last drop of life from the bottom to the very limit of what can be done.

But they are not without anything.

They still have one last thing that makes them human—hope.

The nobles promised that once the Great Crusade ended, and once they could survive the Great Crusade of the Imperium of Man, their busy and arduous work would be over.

From now on, the entire Imperium of Man, including them, the lower classes, will no longer have to bear heavy work every day. After the Great Crusade ends, they will all enjoy countless Grox hamburgers and drink clean, pure water without impurities or odors!

This is the last hope for every person from the lower class who won't live past thirty-five.

As long as the Great Crusade ends, I will be able to.

As long as the Great Crusade ends, I can

Once the Great Crusade is over, I will no longer need it.

Countless hopes coalesce into wishes, and the expectations of countless people yearn to influence existence.

"May the Great Crusade end soon!!!"

"The source of Chaos has never been the personal likes or dislikes of a Primarch, nor the insidious schemes of Chaos Gods, which bring about a fateful end to every bizarre event."

The cause of the inevitable Horus Heresy lies in every individual, every citizen of humanity.

The Great Crusade was magnificent and heroic.

But for someone who can never leave the Hive City area in their lifetime and will never see sunlight and clean water, the Great Crusade is just a term that means they will have to increase their workload and intensity.

They neither cared nor had the capacity to care about the Great Crusade —because even if he spent his entire life trying, he could not grasp what this Great Crusade, praised by everyone from the Imperial Truth Proclaimers to his fellow workers near his post, could actually bring them.

Aside from the heavy burden that would fall on their shoulders, what exactly did the Great Crusade bring to every citizen of the Imperium?

"The Great Crusade was not ended by a traitor within our ranks, nor by the corrupting influence of the forces of Chaos on our Fifteenth Legion, the Thousand Sons, and our Sixteenth Legion Lunar Wolves."

"But it is us humans ourselves."

The Emperor's tone became heavy and helpless.

Perhaps he knew all this from the very beginning? Or perhaps he only discovered the problem when the Great Crusade had reached an irreversible point.

I don't know, just as the Emperor never revealed his plans to anyone.

"It is humanity, it is each and every one of us, who loathe the Great Crusade, and each and every one of us who wish for the Great Crusade to end."

From the upper class who abhor the Tithe, believing it cuts their exorbitant living expenses, to the lower class who know nothing but the need to increase their working hours and intensity.

Everyone is singing praises to the Great Crusade.

But at the same time, everyone is also looking forward to the end of this expedition.

"The existence of the Empyrean has taken this wish and imposed it on each and every one of us."

Amidst the flames of war that engulfed the entire galaxy, the Great Crusade ultimately met its inevitable demise.

As for the endless Chaos that people will face after its end, like maggots clinging to bones...

Who would have thought of this problem?

"So you're saying the Great Crusade was rushed too much."

"Kasgar said."

"Then, as Perpetual, why don't you choose to slow down the scale of the Great Crusade, gradually taking over the planets and slowly transforming them—like Guilliman and his Five Hundred Worlds?"

As the Primarch of the Emperor's offspring, Guilliman may have been utterly humiliated in one-on-one combat, but the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar under his rule were also the pinnacle of civilization within the Imperium of Man.

While it's impossible for every world to rival the Paradise World within the Imperium, in terms of overall development, the Emperor, as Guilliman's father, couldn't possibly be inferior to his son in this aspect.

"Why?"

"Because I don't have time."

The Emperor, this sun that shines with endless Golden Light and seems to still radiate boundless light and heat, is hinting at the day when it too will one day be extinguished.

"You've lost your power? But—"

There are no buts; Kasgar even witnessed the Emperor's decline back then.

When the Emperor was facing a horde of Orks in the Dragon Star Sector, he was being choked by the neck by that giant Orks warlord.

The Emperor himself had already weakened to the point that he could no longer break free on his own.

But how could he get old?

Could it be that he is not Perpetual, not a Saint George who was able to seal the Void Dragon countless years ago, but the embodiment of all human wisdom and power?

Aging is a word that should not exist for Emperor!

"But I will still burn out completely."

"I will still die."

The Emperor was indeed a Perpetual, and he possessed power that was as strong as, or even stronger than, his old friend Malcador, allowing him to be respected as a powerful scientist in humanity's Dark Age of Technology.

But that's not enough—far from enough.

He was just a scholar, a Psychic Power master.

—But he was never a savior.

He has power, but it is not enough to reverse the ever-declining fate of humanity; he has wisdom, but his wisdom tells him that there is no cure for this situation.

Unless—you burn yourself.

Let him become the light that ignites the Astronomican of humanity, let him become the embodiment of all the great leaders of humanity from ancient times to the present, leading and uniting all of humanity on Great Crusade against the Xenos creations that oppress them and the forces of Chaos.

But the flame that burned with his life, though as bright as the sun, could blind any navigator who dared to gaze upon his presence.

But this kind of light cannot last forever.

The Emperor traded power far exceeding his capacity, and the result was similar to that of Kasgar —his body shattered and he had to increasingly use his Psychic Power to suppress this uncontrolled expansion.

"Is this the reason why you're so impatient with your expedition goals, and why you're displaying divine power while claiming you're not a god?"

The Emperor did not answer Kasgar's question directly, but his eyes said it all.

Towards the end of the Great Crusade, the Emperor had to be extremely careful to control his power while fighting on the battlefield, lest he explode and tear the entire world apart.

The defeat of the Orks warlords served as a wake-up call for him: the Emperor must not be harmed.

If something goes wrong, there will be one more Chaos Gods in the world, and one more Eye of Terror.

His body could no longer support him to continue fighting on the front lines of the Great Crusade.

Fortunately, apart from Horus, no one saw his predicament—he had to seize this opportunity to ensure the Emperor's safe return from this battle to Terra.

That Golden Throne is not only the most terrifying instrument of torture in the world, but it can also freeze him in that moment of death, allowing him and his unfinished Radiance to forever protect humanity and guide the return of the Astronomican.

"From the very beginning, you already knew your destiny: to sit on this throne for ten thousand years and ten thousand years."

Kasgar's tone was filled with disbelief.

"That's right."

"And, child, I am about to leave."

The Emperor's face turned once again toward that magnificent golden Radiance.

His figure was still as tall and imposing as when he first landed in Chemos, radiating a strong Golden Light that illuminated everything in the world.

But at this moment, in Kasgar's eyes, his figure was so hunched and insignificant, like an ordinary person accepting the fate he was about to face.

"No! Wait, Your Emperor! I still need your guidance!"

"What do I need to do to restore order to this world after I wake up again?"

"What is the meaning of the Old Ones I encountered at the Dalit Star Gate? What is my connection with the Old Ones and Asuryan?"

"And Fulgrim! How is Fulgrim? How can I rescue her?"

Kasgar pressed for an answer.

Countless questions await his answers, and endless obstacles rely on his strength.

What should we do?

"What will we do after you're gone?"

It was as if the world was urging him to ask a question.

Kasgar asked this question to the elderly warrior who was about to fight the last battle of his long life.

Yes.

After losing their Emperor, what will become of the remaining humans?

A flowing Golden Light swept across his body, extending into the infinite space. The Emperor's tall, hunched figure, strong yet thin, the one who shone with the power to rule over all things and the ordinary man, gradually receded into the distance until he was submerged in the Guanghua, brightest Golden Light under its radiance.

He turned his head slightly, a smile playing on his lips, and spoke softly to Kasgar.

"... Only you know."

Click.

Heaven and earth shattered, all things vanished, and everything returned to nothingness.

"In the name of the Blood Angels, I command you to cease your madness, Horus!"

"Father--"

"I forgive you, I'll wait for you."

"Horus! I, Guilliman —where is he? Where did all these feathers come from?"

An endless panorama flashed before Kasgar's eyes.

The world turns, and time flies.

Kasgar felt as if everything was returning to normal for him.

Nothing has changed?

No.

Everything he experienced, from lessons learned to gains, became a precious source of his faith and strength.

No longer worrying about gains and losses, no longer being eager for quick success and instant benefits, no longer fearing failure.

Now, regardless of success or failure, Kasgar will spare no effort to save this Imperium of Man, which is like a cesspool.

Even if it takes ten thousand years.

Let him face everything in this 40K era with determination!

For the Emperor, for Fulgrim.

For everyone's sake.

He opened his eyes.

—Because only we know the outcome of the future.