Although Ahriman's explanation did not seem entirely credible to the clone Primarchs, there was no other explanation.
If what he said was true... Horus could hardly imagine that the Lord of Tyran had just been about to, or was in the midst of, an ascension ritual, then calmly stated the latest developments as though nothing major had happened.
"If he succeeds in ascending, will there be a god in the Warp willing to do something for humanity?" Horus suddenly asked.
"Of course not, Father." Lupercal stared at the clone of his Primarch. "He will be twisted by the Warp itself, just as you were ten thousand years ago."
Ahriman glanced at Lupercal, then looked toward Horus.
He found himself wondering why Horus had asked such a childish question, foolish enough to think a Warp god would remain true to his original intentions.
But Horus was not harboring some naïve hope. He was merely thinking about his father.
He had once heard Qin Mo say that if the Emperor stepped down from the Golden Throne, he might ascend to godhood.
More than once, Horus had considered what would happen if the Emperor ascended.
"Back to the matter at hand." Ahriman stopped pacing and fixed his gaze on Horus. "We must find a way to disperse the echoes of the Emperor and your original self, before their battle destroys all of us."
"How do you intend to disperse them? Can we even get half a step closer?" Horus shot back at Ahriman. "I think the best thing we can do now is wait—wait for the Lord of Tyran to deal with Vashtorr, then return and handle this."
"He can deal with it, but whether he can arrive in time is another matter." Ahriman slowly shook his head, then drew a dagger from