After stepping through the gate, they found themselves in a fantastical space where machinery and psychic energy intertwined.
The three men's eyes were immediately drawn to the towering Golden Throne in the center of the hall.
The throne was made entirely of golden metal and radiated a faint glow, dazzling as the sun.
Pipes and cables sprawled around it in an orderly jumble, extending like veins to every corner of the hall and connecting to a portal leading to the Aeldari Webway.
The hall was bustling with countless red-robed Tech-Priests and laborers.
Some carried precision tools, while others studied complicated blueprints, all entirely focused on the Golden Throne and the machinery surrounding it.
The Tech-Priests' faces were filled with devotion and reverence. Every movement they made seemed solemn and sacred.
At last, they reached the Golden Throne.
The three men's breathing grew increasingly hurried, their hearts beating faster and faster. They had never felt anything like this before.
Francis looked up at the Emperor. Golden light filled his eyes. The Emperor was impossibly handsome and noble, beyond words.
His eyes were deep and bright, as though he could see the secrets of the universe and peer into the depths of people's hearts.
He was tall and straight-backed, his muscles sharply defined, radiating an unmatched sense of strength.
He wore a finely crafted suit of golden armor, carved with intricate totems and symbols. Every detail spoke of boundless wisdom and power.
Magnus and Leman Russ lowered their heads and murmured, "Father, I'm here."
Francis seemed lost in the moment. Seeing this, Leman Russ quickly jabbed him, and Francis finally came to his senses. "Father, I'm here."
A voice filled with boundless kindness and warmth sounded in their minds—
"Good. You've completed your mission."
Francis looked a little perplexed. They completed the mission, and now the rewards were being handed out?
Leman Russ immediately replied, "For the Father!"
Magnus instinctively tried to cover his missing eye, but there was no way to hide it from the Emperor.
"I know all about what happened to you."
Hearing this, Magnus lowered his head in shame.
Golden light stretched out to Magnus's feet, guiding him toward the Emperor.
Magnus gazed at the Emperor in adoration and cried, "Father!"
The Emperor patted him on the shoulder.
"From now on, you'll sit here and keep me company."
He pressed Magnus down onto the Golden Throne. A force began drawing Magnus's psychic power out of him.
At the same time, hundreds of Adeptus Custodes gathered around Magnus.
A familiar scene appeared before Magnus's eyes. He murmured, "The prophecy was true!"
The Emperor stepped down from the throne and headed straight for a Tech-Priest nearby.
Seeing that the Emperor wasn't saying anything, Francis could only steel himself and speak up. "Horus has rebelled!"
The Emperor, who had been talking with the Tech-Priest, paused for a moment, then continued discussing the construction of the human Webway with him.
"It's true! Horus has thrown in his lot with Chaos," Francis pressed.
When the Emperor still didn't react, even Magnus, sitting on the throne, hurriedly called out, "Yes, Father! Horus has been corrupted!"
"You saw it with your own eyes?"
The kind voice washed over them like a spring breeze. Magnus quickly answered, "That's right. Francis and I witnessed it all in the Warp."
The moment the words "in the Warp" were spoken, the air seemed to grow a degree colder.
"Perhaps you've already fallen into someone else's trap. The eyes can be deceiving, especially in the Warp."
Francis felt as if he couldn't breathe.
Just as he'd thought.
Those who were loved could act without fear of consequences!
He really had been talking for nothing. Even with little Magnus backing him up, it made no difference.
"Francis, go on a crusade with Russ."
The Emperor's voice was still kind and warm, but Francis felt his scalp prickle. Wasn't that like sending a lamb into a wolf's den?
"Uh, all right, Father. I left some things in the dungeon. Could I go get them?" Francis asked guiltily.
The Emperor glanced back at Francis.
"Indeed. Anyone who could associate with orks ought to be locked up..."
"Ah! Father, I just remembered—the Howl-Ox raised by the Soul Drinkers seems to be having a difficult birth. I'll go check on it."
"Get ready to leave on the crusade right after!"
Francis's eyes widened like saucers, and he hurriedly spun around and ran.
Leman Russ apologized to the Emperor on Francis's behalf, then ended the conversation with him according to protocol.
The Emperor once again turned his attention to building the human Webway, as if nothing could be more important.
Leman Russ hurried after Francis and grabbed him by the collar. Francis wailed, "Sixth Brother, we're brothers! You can't send me off to die again!"
"You have some nerve."
At that, a hint of guilt appeared on Leman Russ's face. But thinking of how serious the matter was, he still whispered the question.
"Did you really see Horus rebel?"
"Of course I did. Do I look like the sort of person who'd lie?" Francis tilted his head and asked.
Leman Russ looked at his face and fell silent for a moment.
"Hard to say!"
Francis: "..."
"Then what about the order you got to exterminate the Thousand Sons Legion? That was fake, too? Why didn't you say anything?"
Francis's words made sense, but Leman Russ stroked his chin and said, "Perhaps we've already fallen into someone else's trap. The eyes can be deceiving, especially in the Warp."
Francis watched him imitate the Emperor's expression as he said those words. He was on the verge of hitting him.
Just then, they saw a group of Soul Drinkers sneaking toward them.
Sarpedon looked around cautiously, checking his surroundings.
One of the warriors below him whispered, "Are you sure this is 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 mistake. The Primarch isn't wrong!"
Just as they were at their most deeply immersed in their covert operation, Francis's voice rang out from ahead.
"I'm fine. Hurry up and get ready. We're leaving on a crusade~"
Below the Golden Throne where Magnus sat was the entrance to the Webway.
Far inside the Webway, the full expanse of the dark city of Commorragh gradually came into view.
Woven from countless twisted currents of psychic energy and deep shadows, the city's outline flickered in the void like a vast black spiderweb, binding the surrounding space tight.
There was no day or night here, only eternal gloom and the occasional flicker of psychic light.
Along both sides of the streets, towering buildings rose like gigantic tombstones, vessels for imprisoning souls and nurturing sin. Every building exuded a suffocating stench of decay and despair, as if it could devour every trace of life and hope.
The Drukhari prowled the streets, their figures appearing and disappearing beneath the dim lights. Their eyes gleamed with greed and fervor, as if they could never satisfy their lust for violence, corruption, and debauchery.
Suddenly.
They all found themselves caught in the same vision.
They saw a golden sun rampaging through the Webway, slaughtering them. They couldn't stop it at all, and could only huddle within Commorragh.
Some even wanted to perform a forbidden ritual and destroy everything all over again.
All the Drukhari were overcome with panic, howling incessantly.
"What's going on? Why have we caught the eye of another new Chaos God?"
"First there was a red Greater Daemon who wanted to destroy the galaxy. Now there's another Chaos God. Is the world finally coming to an end?"
"Let's run! We can't stand against a god!"
"We're all going to die anyway. Can I at least die happy?"
The streets descended into chaos, and all of Commorragh became a complete mess.
And atop the highest tower in the heart of Commorragh.
Clap, clap, clap~
In the shadows, the city's lord, Asdrubael Vect, laughed uproariously. "Heh heh heh! This is too much fun!"
"How did I not think of this?"
"If I could make two gods collide—tss, tss, tss! I can hardly stand it!"
"Heh heh heh! I can't wait!"
Asdrubael Vect gazed beyond the Webway, his malice even reaching into the Warp.
In the Warp.
A huge tentacle toyed with an eye-shaped fragment of a soul. The mouthparts on the tentacle kept swallowing it, then spitting it back out.
Just then, the soul fragment, which had been trying to escape all along, seemed to lose its way.
The tentacle, which had been languid, suddenly went berserk, and a strange ripple unleashed a psychic maelstrom.
It even affected the material world.
On the planet of Deda, Horus abruptly opened his eyes and uttered, "The Webway! So the False Emperor's secret plan was the Webway."
Abaddon and Ahriman sat before Horus. The council of four had quietly fallen apart after Horus's return.
"The Webway? What's that?" Abaddon asked curiously.
Horus didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Have you completed the mission I gave you?"
"As you instructed, we've sent the Ultramarines, Blood Angels, and other Legions to the most dangerous and remote regions," Abaddon replied.
Then it was Ahriman's turn. "They've agreed to eliminate the stubborn False Emperor loyalists in their Legions!"
"Good!" Horus continued tapping the table. "I also need word about the Eleventh Legion. If they're taking part in the crusade, have their leader come to see me immediately."
Before you continue