Cuteness Before the Emperor (Part 1)

The Orks ran away with their Battle Moon!

The ancient Hero Kasgar, who walked the world alongside Emperor, has returned!

The insect High Lord have all been imprisoned by the Hero Kasgar!

The entire Upper Hive City of Terra was filled with a festive atmosphere—after Lord Regent Guilliman was seriously injured and fell to the ground, finally another hero who could lead the Imperium of Man had stepped forward in the time of crisis to reunite this human world that was on the verge of collapse!

Amidst much anticipation, a grand welcoming ceremony was held throughout Terra.

People from all walks of life, dressed in magnificent robes, gathered here just to catch a glimpse of the ancient hero's splendor, while the air resounded with Choir hymns to the Emperor;

The Servitor, bound in the iron coffin, tirelessly recorded the grand spectacle before him with his quill pen. The dignitaries of the Administratum and the nobles of the Terra Council vied to get forward, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the hero; while the priests and nobles of the Imperial Cult, with their extremely luxurious attire, stood out conspicuously amidst the bustling crowd.

With Kasgar's arrival, the world will be at peace!

With Kasgar's arrival, the sky was clear!

(Lord Regent Guilliman was also there, but he was locked in a small room by Kasgar to do his homework.)

Of course, even though the Hero Kasgar is far superior to others in terms of fame, reputation, and perspective, cleaning up the corrupt Ministry of the Interior would still require a considerable amount of time and effort.

When faced with Primarch Guilliman as Lord Regent, the bureaucrats would still outwardly comply but inwardly defy him, only they could make good use of him due to Guilliman's excellent governance.

Not to mention Kasgar —despite having the title of hero, his appeal and cohesion are not on the same level as those of Guilliman, a Child of the God.

Soon, during the days of the thorough investigation, the Ministry of the Interior was filled with piles of documents, and officials, having lost High Lord Vandire, chose to come to a standstill in order to cover up their own corrupt practices.

Without them, no matter how capable you, Hero Kasgar, are, could you possibly run the entire vast Imperium of Man by yourself?

Impossible!

Either accept our demands and compromise with our civil service, or you'll have to deal with this mountain of paperwork all by yourself!

Good!

Just one person.

"Everyone has their own expertise; let's leave these matters to Loli-man."

Handing it over to Guilliman means he can handle it alone.

There is still much more that Kasgar needs to do.

Seizing power from the High Lord is no easy task—even with Guilliman as a backup hidden file processor, he still needs to stabilize morale through parades, the Astra Militarum and Navy need to undergo some internal reorganization, and there's the War of the Beast, which requires finding five Primarch-level combatants within a year to fight against the Orks.

This Ork Empire is different from the past, and the Orks are quite different this time— Kasgar can no longer use the trick of triggering a Waaaaagh force field explosion through Sisters of Silence to directly detonate those super Orks with Primarch combat capabilities.

And then there was the original Sons of the Emperor.

--To be honest, Kasgar has wanted to make a move for a long time.

If it weren't for the Grey Knights and the Inquisition always having their backs, as well as the potential High Lord and Chaos forces trying to stop him, Kasgar would have already burned all those worthless people who didn't deserve to call themselves the Sons of the Emperor to ashes in Chemos.

However, for the sake of the bigger picture, Kasgar tolerated the rampant behavior of these bastards.

"Command all the Sons of the Emperor on Chemos to prepare to lead all the Sons of the Emperor Space Marine to Terra, to the gates of the Imperial Palace for the bestowal of titles."

"Never wear Power Armour."

Not showing up is considered an act of treason. Go find an Inquisition on the Black Ship and sit there yourself. Kasgar is too busy right now to spend time on these good-for-nothings.

As for what happened after they arrived in Terra

Then let their Primarch, who has been missing for ten thousand years, reappear before them!

[Kasgar, finally. You're finally coming back to me? After being apart for so long, we can finally reconnect as one, a brand new us.--]

I believe in you, I've always believed that, and you will definitely do it again.

[Come on, lady, stop with your inner monologues! Kasgar's return to Terra was all for me—only I could restore his fighting spirit and perseverance.]

[Don't you think so, Kasgar?]

[Ah! You rotten snake! Get that filthy snake tail off Kasgar!]

"Okay, okay, stop fighting, stop fighting."

Kasgar soothed the two still-arguing little ones on his shoulder and walked into the office he hadn't been to in a long time.

"Whoa!!!"

"I sob, I don't want to do my homework, I want to go out and play."

Little Tarrasha loves to play freely and happily in the fields and countryside.

Unfortunately, neither Kasgar nor Evrene would let her escape the heavy and tedious paperwork and return her to the fields to enjoy the happiness that comes with her age.

Sigh, my family of origin!

But it's unclear whether it's due to the awakening of bloodline power or the influence of some mysterious force.

Although Tarrasha (Guilliman) doesn't possess the Primarch-level computing power she had as an adult, and her current abilities are comparable to those of an ordinary girl—yet when faced with these documents, her hands move as automatically as those of the most powerful Imperium officials!

Her hands seemed to be working on their own, approving the documents!

What's going on?!

Loli-man was shocked.

Is this her natural-born profession, destined to be confined to the High Lord's office in Terra (now her office), spending her days approving documents for this vast and bloated Imperium of Man?

Or is this the essence that Guilliman cannot escape, no matter how big or small, male or female he becomes?

"Ah!!!"

Thinking of her bleak future, Loli-man suddenly squatted down in terror on her specially raised chair!

No!

Absolutely not!

I absolutely cannot accept that voice calling out to me from the Warp. If I do, I'll be bound here forever, never to escape!

Loli-man: "."

Elbow strike!

Seemingly sensing the approaching danger, Loli-man climbed off the chair and unleashed an elbow strike towards the open space in front of the door, hitting her squarely in the face.

"Well?"

The punch landed on the leg of the guy who had just opened the door.

As Guilliman slowly raised her eyes, she saw a familiar face.

"You! What are you doing here again?"

Upon seeing that the newcomer was Kasgar, the one who had imprisoned her until now, Loli-man immediately lost her composure and took several steps back.

In Kasgar's eyes, he had his hands in front of him in a boxing stance, as if he was about to step forward and fight Kasgar one-on-one at any moment.

"Ugh! They're not sending me another set of documents, are they? Let me tell you, even though I've written everything you asked for, it doesn't mean I can be at your beck and call!"

"You can't just make me write as much as you want, that's not allowed!"

Loli-man became increasingly less confident as she spoke.

At times like this, Kasgar would often say things like, "But you're the only one left to do this job," or "Guilliman, you don't want the Imperium of Man to fall, do you?" to get Loli-man to work for him willingly.

Although Loli-man knew she was being used as a source of labor, she had no choice but to agree each time for the sake of this battered Imperium of Man.

"Very good, Tarrasha, get ready to come with me."

But this time, Kasgar seemed to have changed his personality. "Get ready, we're about to set off."

What!

Finally, I can get out! I'm finally free from being locked in a room by these people and turned into a human document Servitor!

"Okay, okay!" Loli-man jumped up and down happily a few times on the luxurious carpet in the former High Lord's office. "Where are we going to play?"

"Where?"

"Ha, Imperial Palace, before the Golden Throne."

"No, please!"

On the shuttle traveling from the High Lord's Governor's Mansion to the Holy Imperial Palace, Loli-man let out a painful scream.

She clearly hoped to wake up again and return to Terra to see the Emperor;

Clearly, she longed to escape the sea of paperwork and have some fun;

Two happy things coincided.

These two joys should have been spent in a blissful, dreamlike state... But why did they turn out this way...?

"Aaaaaah!!"

"I'm going to see the Emperor with my tonic!"

Loli-man cried out, then turned her head to the other side, where she saw what had been her brother, Mortarion.

The Mortarion sitting in his seat was looking at him with a smile.

Is this a mockery?

This must be a joke!

Ha!!!!

This is absolutely a joke!

Guilliman had originally wanted to challenge his opponent to a one-on-one duel, immediately calmed down when he thought about his current fighting strength.

No!

We absolutely must find a way to get out of this situation!

If he were to meet the Emperor like this—even though the Emperor might already know he's turned into a loli—he/she still wouldn't be able to accept it!

"Look at me! Kasgar, how can I face the Emperor looking like this?"

Loli-man tugged at the hem of her clothes, putting on a pitiful look.

"I"

"Don't be afraid, Guilliman."

Kasgar reassured him, "I already have a plan for the problem you're afraid of."

"Have you found a way to cure my curse?"

"No."

"However, I've found a skilled craftsman to tailor a very beautiful dress for you. You can wear it and look adorable when you meet the Emperor."

"Kasgar —I'm going to kill you!"

The gates of the Holy Imperial Palace.

The landscape here hasn't changed much from ten thousand years ago—among these vast, snow-capped Snowy Mountains, a sprawling golden palace sits atop the world like a masterpiece of divine craftsmanship.

In the past, this place was the quietest place—except for the Royal Guard, who, since the Emperor ascended the Golden Throne, had devoted all their forces to the defense of the Imperial Palace, vowing to prevent the tragedy of the Horus Heresy from ever Adeptus Custodes again.

Only a select few high-ranking Imperium officials are able to approach Imperial Palace with reverence and awe, to experience the chapters of this ancient Imperium where Emperor followed in the footsteps of their illustrious achievements.

--And then there were the one-way passengers who would occasionally arrive on Black Ship to visit.

"Hero Kasgar, I hope your seat matches your heroic title."

"And these two—well, the disgraced offspring of Number Thirteen and the Xenos, and Number Fourteen, welcome back."

Perhaps it was because the height difference between Loli-man and Mortarion was so great that he could see the other's huge corn-shaped head bobbing up and down.

Kasgar was able to sense the Golden Armor Warrior's hostility—it was unclear whether it stemmed from jealousy that Kasgar's request to see the Emperor had been granted, or from anger towards "Tarrasha" beside Kasgar.

The Imperial Adeptus Custodes had initially felt a little goodwill towards Guilliman's seven-thousand-year regency that preserved the human Imperium of Man, instantly lost all their good mood upon seeing this little girl.

What does it mean that humans and Eldar must unite—no, marry?

What do you mean Number Thirteen already has a child with that damned Xenos witch?

What does "the deed is done" mean?!

Answer me, Guilliman!

What exactly did you do!?

Although they desperately wanted to cleave her into a bloody mist on the spot, at the Emperor's request, the Adeptus Custodes had no choice but to reopen the doors of the Golden Throne Hall, which had been closed for countless years for others, allowing them to once again have an audience with the Emperor.

"Keep a close eye on that Xenos witch's bastard."

"Our people will be keeping a close eye on you."

Led forward, the group passed through the various magnificent halls of the Imperial Palace, which were now empty.

Despite the passage of tens of thousands of years, the scenery here seems to have remained unchanged.

But this magnificent hall was just like the scene when he attended a banquet with the Primarch ten thousand years ago.

"Arrive."

"I hope His Majesty has not misjudged anyone this time."

The Adeptus Custodes grumbled, somewhat displeased, and together with the Sister of Sisters of Silence and several other Adeptus Custodes, opened the doors to the Golden Throne.

"Finally."

Kasgar, carrying the somewhat reluctant Loli-man in his arms, and Mortarion beside him, walked through the gate that shimmered with endless Golden Light.

"Fulgrim, I've come to find you."

The golden light seemed to go out the moment Kasgar pushed open the door.

That dazzling Golden Light was merely an illusion—or rather, it was the image of the Emperor that all the subjects of the Imperium most longed to see.

Then, countless phantoms flashed by: a ruthless king, a loving saint, or an ordinary middle-aged man suffering. The figure in the light kept changing, shifting between countless specific forms, until finally revealing his true face.

After a flash of light, what appeared before the three people's eyes was a golden platform made of gold, marble, and mechanical equipment. At the very top of the platform was a desiccated corpse, reduced to mere bones, with countless electronic components and circuits being connected to its body.

It seemed to be both maintaining the life of the person on the throne and amplifying his suffering.

"We meet again, the God-Emperor of Mankind."

You succeeded.

A harmony, like countless people chanting together, rushed into Kasgar's mind.

He no longer gave Kasgar the feeling of being a completely human being.

Whether the Emperor is a god or not is irrelevant—regardless of whether the Imperial Cult becomes the Ecclesiarchy, in times of despair, the last and only savior people can think of is always him.

Despite the changes over these ten thousand years, thanks to Guilliman's millennia of diligent governance, the entire Imperium of Man has not fallen into irreparable ruin. Furthermore, with the Blue Smurfs guarding the Webway beneath the Golden Throne, the Emperor's current condition is countless times better than in the original 40K timeline.

Even when the Adeptus Custodes risked their lives to stop Draconian, and when he was finally subdued by Abaddon, the Emperor never stepped down from his throne.

In other words...

The Emperor still has the strength to fight again.

But I will have a better time to take advantage of this opportunity.

As if able to read Kasgar's thoughts, another voice rushed into his mind.

Now, let us discuss the reason why I summoned you.

[Help me to stand up again; help this Webway to regain its vitality.]

You can do it.

"You still have a chance to stand up?"

Kasgar was shocked.

Is it even possible for Emperor to rise again without ascending to godhood?

Indeed, it was because the final battle of the Horus Heresy ten thousand years ago was too hasty that the current the God-Emperor of Mankind is not as deviant of humanity as he was in the original timeline, and he does not need to sit on the Golden Throne all the time to seal the endless stream of demons below (only Khorne needed to).

Therefore, he still has one last trick up his sleeve.

However, this requires him to become whole again.

But when the Emperor decided to abandon his humanity and ascend to the Dark King, he still abandoned his past.

To prevent the Emperor from going back on his word, the four Chaos Gods collected the fragments the Emperor had discarded when they were infusing Horus into a cream puff.

Four Gods.

One God, one piece.

"So, I need to defeat these damned Chaos Gods all by myself and retrieve your fragments of humanity from Garden of Nurgle / Brass Citadel / Crystal Labyrinth / Six Rings?"

Oh my god!

Do you even have any humanity left?!

--Kasgar somewhat understood how the Death Cult felt when they heard that the last Crone Sword was in the Six Rings of Slaanesh.

[Yes, I know this is extremely difficult, Kasgar.]

But you, your victory in the Plague Wars, have given us hope.

[A fragment of me returned to my body when Garden of Nurgle was burned.]

That's right, all that's left are the three remaining Chaos Gods.

But they are not fools who would sit idly by and wait for their doom—ten thousand years ago, these cunning beings would lie in wait, cooperate, and deceive; ten thousand years later, they have no reason not to understand these things.

"You've given me a big task, Your Emperor."

Kasgar gave a helpless, wry smile.

I understand this is a difficult task, but you, Kasgar, are our last hope.

[Hope remains]

Despite the immense difficulty of breaking into the palaces of the remaining three gods and seizing the fragments of the Emperor's humanity from them.

But Kasgar accepted the challenge nonetheless.

So...

"Where is Fulgrim, whom I came here hoping to see most?"

[Don't worry, she's right here.]

As the Emperor finished speaking, a pale purple-pink ball of light quietly came to rest in front of Kasgar.