The Emperor Arrives
The Emperor touched his throat.
He hadn't felt the sensation of making a sound in far too long.
With the help of Guilliman's power, his more than a thousand fragmented consciousnesses were suppressed, leaving only his own will and the Dark Emperor lurking within him.
And now, he has the upper hand over his opponent!
"I am Voldus, the valiant warrior, the Imperium's Psionic Energy blade, and the current Supreme Grand Master the Grey Knights."
The Emperor's voice rang out, carrying an aura of majesty and tranquility that transcended millennia. "I bestow upon you a task second only to the Final Edict —that is to guard Magnus before you."
"Your Majesty, I will obey your command!"
Voldus suddenly knelt on one knee, his bones cracking slightly with excitement. He couldn't even control his trembling, and his Psionic Energy surged uncontrollably within him.
At the same time, the group of Ultramarines outside the door all knelt down on the ground.
Their minds have indeed been influenced by their Son of War nature, becoming slightly more belligerent.
But the loyalty etched into their genes over millions of years, and the soul-deep reverence for the Master of Mankind, would never prevent them from forgetting even the most basic etiquette.
Calgar could feel every pore on his body opening up.
He was a former Chapter Master of the Ultramarines, yet he had never set foot on Terra, much less seen the Emperor on the Golden Throne.
And now, the living embodiment of the Emperor is behind that door.
He longed to burst through the door and behold that majestic figure, but he restrained himself—it was out of awe for the king, and respect for the Master of Mankind.
He won't interrupt the conversation inside!
Calgar abruptly stood up, turned to the Ultramarines beside him, and growled, "All of you, get back to work! Anyone who dares to eavesdrop here again, I'll crush their balls!"
Kai, who had only recently become Ultramarines, instinctively wanted to resist, but a glare from his master made him shrink back and obediently turn and leave.
With the strongest among the Ultramarines, the former Emperor's Blessed One, yielding, all the Ultramarines obediently followed him back to their posts.
They did become a little crazy, but that madness was only directed at heretics.
Targeting the old Chapter Master?
Haha, only someone with a screw loose would dare to be so arrogant with him.
You can try to beat him—if you can defeat him by ganging up on him, then you're pretty awesome for now.
But next, you'll face the Ultramarines ' leader, their own Gene-Father, the invincible Guilliman, with his fists full of "love and compassion"!
The excitement lasted a long time.
Voldus longed to kneel before the Emperor until the end of his life, but at this moment, a question pressed firmly on his mind like a red-hot iron.
He needs to know the answer.
He raised his head, his gaze fixed intently on the Emperor, his deep voice trembling uncontrollably. "Your Majesty... who exactly is our Primarch?"
He couldn't believe it.
How could they possibly be descendants of the rebellious Primarch?
The Grey Knights always believed that they were the offspring of the Emperor or some superior Primarch.
Their Gene-seed emitted a faint golden Psionic Energy glow—the power of the Emperor.
The Emperor fell silent for a moment.
The golden Psionic Energy figure swayed slightly, as if recalling long-forgotten events from ten thousand years ago.
But in the end, he spoke, his voice still calm, yet carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible complexity:
"You Grey Knights were originally formed ten thousand years ago by me and my Imperium Chancellor Malcador, by selecting outstanding Psyker from various legions."
"But for the sake of the purity and strength of the genes, I changed your Gene-seed."
"That Gene-seed originated from the Primarch, who was most adept at Psionic Energy."
"But in order to prevent the Flesh Change that was prone to occur in his original offspring again, I chose to use my own power to add a layer of protection to your Gene-seed."
This is the source of my Psionic Energy energy within you."
"And he is indeed the Gene-Father."
The Emperor's voice paused, then each word struck Voldus's heart like a hammer blow. "A Primarch who has betrayed his Primarch."
The Emperor's gaze turned to Magnus.
Magnus was already kneeling on the ground, cold sweat streaming down his reddened skin.
It's been ten thousand years.
For a full ten thousand years.
He heard his father's voice again.
It was still so warm, so calm, as if countless people Whisper at the same time.
His imposing presence still silenced him, preventing him from daring to refute or make any unnecessary movements in front of this figure.
The Emperor looked at Magnus, his voice turning to his former son, calm and clear. "This is what I promised you."
"Your new offspring."
"Even I can't bring back those things from the past."
Magnus knew what he should do.
He always knew what he should do.
The Emperor and his brothers advised him against researching the Warp too much, but he arrogantly refused, ultimately leading to that tragedy.
His children urged him to tell the Emperor about their Flesh Change, but he refused, believing he could handle everything himself.
In the end, his children became a group of fleshless beings who could only live by relying on armor.
Now, he knows exactly what he should do.
But he still didn't want to do it.
What constitutes a new offspring?
What does it mean to kill all the original offspring?
He thought he had grown up, that he had let go of his resentment, but in front of the Emperor, he was still angry, and he still wanted to rebel.
The Emperor remained as aloof and supreme as ever.
Even though he was stabbed by Horus ten thousand years ago and endured torment on the throne for ten thousand years, he was still so high and mighty.
This guy is the least human of all!
"So what!?"
Magnus asked, his neck stiff.
The Emperor looked at him calmly.
He was indeed the least human of all, but he was also the most human of all.
All human emotions can be found in him.
He had to conceal all of this simply to achieve his goal.
He had no choice but to give it all up.
He knew exactly what Magnus was thinking.
But he won't do what the other party wants, because that doesn't align with the needs of human development.
He needs a reformed Primarch.
He needs a Primarch who can lead the Grey Knights and continue the fight against the Chaos Daemons.
Instead of the Daemon Prince before me, who has been completely brainwashed by Chaos Tzeentch.
Even Lorgar, who was dedicated to spreading his faith ten thousand years ago, would be more useful than this stubborn fool in front of me.
"Well..."
A sigh was heard.
Guilliman looked at the two of them helplessly.