Saying It Is the Same As Not Saying It (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Upon entering the gate, it was like stepping into a fantastical space where machinery and psychic energy intertwined.

The gazes of the three were immediately drawn to the towering Golden Throne in the center of the hall.

The throne was entirely crafted from golden metal, emitting a faint glow, as dazzling as the sun.

Around it were scattered conduits and cables, extending like veins to every corner of the hall, connecting to portals leading to the Ling Clan's Webway.

Within the hall, countless laborers and Tech-priests clad in red robes bustled about.

Some held intricate tools, while others stared intently at complex blueprints, wholly absorbed in studying the Golden Throne and its surrounding mechanical devices.

The faces of these Tech-priests were etched with piety and reverence; every movement they made seemed solemn and sacred.

Finally, they approached the Golden Throne.

The breathing of the three grew more rapid, their heartbeats quickening; this tremor was unprecedented.

Francis looked up at the Emperor, his eyes filled with golden light—a beauty and nobility beyond words.

His eyes were deep and bright, as if capable of perceiving the universe's mysteries and peering into the depths of the human heart.

His stature was tall and upright, his muscles clearly defined, exuding an unparalleled sense of power.

He wore an exquisite golden armor, intricately carved with totems and symbols; every detail revealed boundless wisdom and strength.

Magnus and Leman Russ lowered their heads and softly called out, "Father, I have arrived."

Francis seemed lost in thought. Seeing this, Leman Russ nudged him, and Francis finally reacted. "Father, I have arrived."

A profoundly kind and warm voice echoed in his mind—

"Good, you have completed the mission."

Francis wore a strange expression. Completed the mission, and now for the mission reward?

Leman Russ immediately replied, "For Father!"

Magnus instinctively tried to cover his lost eye, but it was impossible to hide from the Emperor.

"I know about your situation."

Hearing this, Magnus shamefully lowered his head.

Golden light extended to Magnus's feet, guiding him before the Emperor.

Magnus looked up at the Emperor with adoration and cried out, "Father!"

The Emperor patted his shoulder.

"From now on, you will sit here with me."

He pressed Magnus onto the Golden Throne, and a suction force began to draw out Magnus's psychic energy.

Following this, hundreds of Adeptus Custodes surrounded Magnus.

A familiar scene unfolded before Magnus's eyes, and he murmured, "The prophecy is true!"

The Emperor, descending from the throne, walked directly towards a nearby Tech-priest.

Seeing that the Emperor remained silent, Francis braced himself and said, "Horus has betrayed us!"

The Emperor, who was conversing with the Tech-priest, paused briefly before continuing to discuss the construction of the human Webway with him.

"It's true! Horus has joined Chaos," Francis pressed on.

Seeing the Emperor still unresponsive, even Magnus on the throne urgently called out, "Yes, Father! Horus has been corrupted!"

"Did you witness it with your own eyes?"

The kind voice was like a spring breeze. Magnus quickly replied, "Yes, Francis and I witnessed it all in the Warp."

The moment the words "in the Warp" were spoken, the air seemed to drop several degrees.

"Perhaps you have fallen into someone's trap. Eyes can deceive, especially in the Warp."

Francis felt a sense of suffocation.

As expected.

Those who are loved are always fearless!

I spoke in vain, even with little Magnus here.

"Francis, you and Russ will go on the expedition."

Although the Emperor's voice was kind and warm, Francis's scalp tingled. Wasn't this like sending a wolf to the slaughter?

"Uh, alright. Father, I left some things in the dungeon. May I go retrieve them?" Francis said guiltily.

The Emperor turned to look at Francis.

"Indeed, associating with Orks... you should be confined to..."

"Ah! Father, I just remembered, the Bull that the Soul Drinkers are raising seems to be having a difficult birth. I'll go check on it."

"You will depart on the expedition immediately afterward!"

Francis's eyes widened like copper bells as he quickly turned and fled.

Leman Russ on the side apologized for Francis and concluded his conversation with the Emperor according to etiquette.

The Emperor once again became engrossed in the construction of humanity's Webway, as if nothing else was more important.

Leman Russ quickly caught up to Francis, grabbing him by the collar, and heard Francis wail.

"Sixth Brother, we're brothers, aren't you going to send me on my way again?"

"How dare you?"

Hearing this, Leman Russ immediately felt a trace of guilt on his face. However, considering the seriousness of the matter, he still asked quietly.

"Did you really see Horus betray us?"

"Of course it's true, do I look like a liar?" Francis tilted his head and retorted.

Leman Russ looked at the other's face and was silent for a moment.

"Hard to say!"

Francis: "..."

"Then the order to exterminate the Thousand Sons Legion was fake, why didn't you say anything?"

Although what Francis said made sense, Leman Russ stroked his chin and said, "Perhaps we've fallen into someone else's trap. Eyes can deceive, especially in the Warp."

Francis looked at him imitating the Emperor's expression, and saying these words made him almost unable to resist lashing out.

Just then, they saw a group of Soul Drinkers sneaking towards them.

Salpador looked left and right, cautiously observing their surroundings.

A soldier below whispered, "Is what we're doing really okay?"

"I heard from a relative in the Inquisition that this is called treason."

"Don't talk nonsense, we're correcting the Emperor's mistakes, the Primarch is right!"

Just as they were most engrossed in their hiding, Francis's voice rang out from ahead.

"I'm fine, get ready quickly. We're going on an expedition~"

Beneath where Magnus sat on the Golden Throne was the entrance to the Webway.

Directly into the depths of the Webway, the full picture of the dark city of Commorragh gradually became clear.

Woven from countless twisted psychic energies and deep shadows, the city's silhouette flickered in and out of existence in the void, like a giant black spiderweb, firmly binding the surrounding space.

There was no distinction between day and night here, only eternal dimness and occasional flickering psychic lights.

On both sides of the streets, towering buildings rose like giant tombstones, containers used to imprison souls and nourish sin. Each building exuded a suffocating stench of decay and despair, as if capable of devouring all life and hope.

On the streets, Dark Eldar roamed, their figures appearing and disappearing in the dim light. Their eyes gleamed with greed and fanaticism, as if their desire for violence, depravity, and debauchery could never be satisfied.

Suddenly.

They all fell into a vision.

They saw a golden sun slaughtering them madly in the Webway. They couldn't resist at all and could only huddle in Commorragh.

Some even wanted to initiate forbidden rituals to destroy everything again.

All the Dark Eldar fell into panic, constantly roaring.

"What's going on? Are we being targeted by a new Chaos God?"

"First there was a red Greater Daemon, wanting to destroy the galaxy. Now another Chaos God, is the world finally going to be destroyed?"

"Let's escape! We can't face a god!"

"Since we're all going to die anyway, can I at least die having fun!"

The streets immediately devolved into chaos, and the entire Commorragh was thrown into disarray.

And, on the tallest tower in the center of Commorragh.

Crack crack crack~

In the shadows, the Lord of Commorragh, Asdrubael Vect, laughed wildly. "Hehehe~ This is too interesting!"

"How could I not have thought of this!"

"If I could make two gods collide, hiss hiss~ I can't stand it!"

"Hehehe~ I'm so looking forward to it!"

Asdrubael Vect gazed out beyond the Webway, his malice even penetrating into the Warp.

In the Warp.

A giant tentacle was playing with an eye-shaped soul fragment, its mouthparts on the tentacle constantly eating it and spitting it out.

Just then, the soul fragment, which had been trying to escape, seemed to have lost its direction.

The previously lazy tentacle immediately became agitated, and strange fluctuations stirred up a psychic storm.

It even affected the real world.

On Daedalus Planet, Horus's eyes snapped open, and he uttered a sentence. "The Webway! So this is the plan the False Emperor has been secretly carrying out, the Webway."

Before Horus sat Abaddon and Erebus. The original meeting of the four primarchs had quietly fractured with Horus's revival.

"The Webway? What is the Webway?"

Facing Abaddon's curiosity, Horus didn't answer him but instead asked, "Have the tasks I assigned you been completed?"

"As you commanded, we have dispatched Legions such as the Ultramarines and Blood Angels to the most dangerous and remote locations," Abaddon said.

Then it was Erebus's turn. "They have already agreed to eliminate the stubborn loyalist elements from the Legions!"

"Excellent!" Horus said, drumming his fingers on the table. "I also need information on the Eleventh Legion. If they are participating in the expedition, have them come see me immediately."