What If...?

"Ah???"

Upon hearing this, Alvin's eyelids twitched violently.

He seriously doubted whether he had misheard; the Emperor actually wanted him to rekindle the extinguished "Astronomican"?

"Are you serious?" He smirked. Could the Emperor really want him to sit on the "Golden Throne" in his place for a few days?

Although he is loyal, Alvin felt that it was better to find someone else for this matter; it wasn't about loyalty or disloyalty.

"I'm not asking you to replace me."

The Emperor's eyes seemed to possess a magical power to see into people's hearts, instantly discerning Alvin's thoughts. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and say, "Even if you're looking for a substitute, what use is it for you to sit on it with your meager strength?"

Although the Emperor's words were very impolite, Alvin did not feel offended at all; in fact, he was quite pleased.

The Golden Throne is something anyone can have!

It's worth noting that even the Seal Keeper, Malcador, hailed as the most powerful Psyker below the Master of Mankind and surpassing the "Alpha Plus," was drained of his life force and reduced to a skeleton when he sat on it.

With his small frame, let alone sitting on it, he'd probably be drained dry just by touching the "Golden Throne."

Even the most skilled torturer, "Bloodbrides," upon seeing the Golden Throne, exclaimed, "Where did you find such a powerful 'instrument of torture'? It's simply the most creative and terrifying torture device I've ever seen."

It is clear what kind of thing the Golden Throne, despite its name, is actually.

Letting him sit there is worse than death.

But as he breathed a sigh of relief, an even bigger question lingered in Alvin's mind, "Since I'm not going to sit on the 'Golden Throne' in your place, how am I supposed to light the 'Astronomican'?"

The light of the Astronomican depends entirely on the operation of the Golden Throne and the Emperor himself sitting upon it, who continuously burns his own Psychic Power.

It's fair to say that without the Emperor sitting on the "Golden Throne," suppressing the Warp Rift below, and sacrificing himself to ignite the Astronomican, the Imperium of Man would have perished tens of thousands of times over. How could it have survived to this day?

But if he hadn't sat on the Golden Throne, Alvin wouldn't have known how to maintain the "Astronomican."

"Don't worry, someone will contact you soon and tell you what to do."

The Emperor did not say it explicitly.

Although Alvin was full of doubts, he had no choice but to trust the Emperor.

A thunderous roar shook the summit of the snow-capped Snow Mountain.

The sky, which was originally shrouded in clouds and mist, was suddenly stained with a thick crimson color. In the distance, one could even see a terrifying figure approaching with boundless rage. The huge axe blade phantom appeared and disappeared in the crimson clouds, as if the heavens and earth were being created!

I should leave now.

The Emperor frowned, about to say something, but was interrupted by the blood-red axe blade phantom, a hint of annoyance flashing in his eyes.

Don't forget where you come from.

The Emperor raised his hand and placed it on Alvin's shoulder, applying slight pressure, before turning and stepping towards the mountain peak.

The terrifying, blood-red phantom seemed to be blocked by some force, unable to penetrate deeper. The Emperor was once again enveloped in golden light, stepping on invisible steps as he walked towards the blood-red phantom.

Suddenly.

The Emperor halted his ascent, still facing away from Alvin, but turned his head, staring at him with an extremely eerie gaze. His tone was both human and inhuman, as if containing something beyond order and rules, as he spoke, each word deliberate and enunciated. "Alvin, look at me now, do I resemble a human—or more like a god?"

Holy crap, it's really become sentient?!

For a fleeting moment, Alvin felt a chill run down his spine.

This doesn't mean that the question suddenly posed by the "Emperor" before him was like the Yellow Skin "demanding an award" that he had heard about in his previous life.

The story wasn't the same as the previous one, but rather—he could clearly sense that the Emperor no longer seemed like an "Emperor"!

In the Emperor's eyes, there seemed to be a cold, dark, and chilling will flowing within him, and his voice became deeper, as if he were a different person.

Alvin was stunned by the strange question, his mind in turmoil, and he stood there frozen in place.

"Tell me, am I more like a human, or more like a god?"

This time, the Emperor's tone clearly carried another personality, as if it contained an unfathomable darkness.

It instilled in him an unspeakable fear, a chilling dread that seeped into his very soul!

The chill of the Snow Mountain is far less intense than that of "Emperor".

Under the invisible pressure, Alvin's jaw trembled, his pupils shrank to pinpoints, and cold sweat poured down his face. Although he didn't know what had gotten into the "Emperor," he was acutely aware of the "taboo" nature of this matter!

Absolutely! Absolutely! Absolutely not!

Say the second taboo word!

"Like a person!"

"Ah-"

The deep, dark will in the Emperor's eyes faded.

But, whether it was just his imagination or not, Alvin felt as if he could glimpse a hint of anger and coldness in those eyes.

The Emperor's figure disappeared into the horizon.

The "Emperor" just now—no, to be precise, he was not Emperor at all, nor was he the "Master of Mankind" who carried the hopes of mankind. Rather, he was the last "piece" of the Warp, the Chaos God who symbolized destruction— Malal!

Alvin swallowed hard.

In a deep-seated fear, I felt my consciousness being stripped away, and I slowly withdrew from the "dream."

The golden sword, imbued with the pure will of the Master of Mankind, suddenly stopped before the brow of the Daemon Primarch "Angron," its scorching golden flames burning against his ferocious forehead.

The flow of time seemed to be paused.

Amidst the soaring, blazing golden flames, the figure, like an ancient star, lowered its gaze and sighed softly.

Endless regret and loneliness accompanied this sigh, which made every Dark Angels feel as if they were experiencing the extremely complex emotions of this "Master of Mankind".

Then, the figure shrouded in golden flames dissipated into the ruined hall as the sword's edge crumbled inch by inch, like a candle flame extinguished by a gale.

Alvin, who had been hovering in mid-air and enveloped in golden flames, seemed to lose his power. The light in his eyes faded, and he slowly fell to the ground.

"This is-

Alvin, regaining his senses, had beads of cold sweat on his forehead. He knelt on the ground, but for a long time he couldn't shake off the strange image that shrouded his mind.

Although the "Emperor" has departed, Alvin awakens from his dream.

But whenever he recalls those emotionless eyes, filled with deep darkness, he can't help but break out in a cold sweat, his heart feeling as if gripped tightly by fear.

Thank goodness! Thank goodness!

He couldn't imagine what terrible things would have happened if he had said the second option!

The Awakened Emperor?

No, if such a day truly comes, then the one who awakens will no longer be the "Master of Mankind," nor the "Emperor," but rather the Chaos God known as "Destruction" —Malal!