Dark Emperor

"So your 'grand' plan was to first send Magnus, infuse your power into him, and then fail."

Now, do you want to send another Angron to repeat the same thing?

A voice rang out.

Not in the frantic murmurs or roars of the Warp.

Instead, it resonated directly and clearly at the edge of this "court" temporarily woven from the wills of the four gods, like an icicle piercing a boiling pot of oil.

The voice was cold and devoid of any emotion, yet it contained a knowing, condescending sarcasm.

"Truly... breathtaking wisdom."

The voice continued, laced with undisguised contempt, "It's unbelievable that even when facing a bunch of idiots like you, whose thought processes are like rotten tangled threads, the other 'me' couldn't win back then."

The voice paused, as if savoring the absurdity of the fact:

"If I were in charge... you would have all been killed, dismantled, and turned into fertilizer to nourish the new order long ago."

Where would they find the chance to huddle together like desperate gamblers, plotting how to use an even crazier to deal with my...?

"Well, he's a pretty good son."

Along with these cold words, a completely different, dark power began to spread.

It was not the chaos of Chaos, the allure of Slaanesh, the decay of Nurgle, or the fury of Khorne.

This is a deeper, more absolute, and more "endless" power—a pure, unparalleled "deathly silence" symbolizing end and nothingness.

Beside the Warp Rift where the will of the four gods was focused, it was as if an invisible hand had forcibly ripped open a hole.

A figure stepped out from within.

He was clad in heavy armor, as black as eternal night and inlaid with pale bone ornaments, its style ancient and majestic, as if bearing the entire weight and despair of a lost Imperium.

Beneath the armor, the body was tall and imposing, its skin a pale white, as if it had never seen the sun, like a marble sculpture, yet it radiated an inhuman, cold luster.

Her hair was pure black, cascading down her shoulder armor.

What is most unsettling are his eyes—also a deep, dark black, without whites or pupils, only two pools of emptiness that devour all light and hope.

He simply stood there, and it seemed to become a tangible symbol of death, silence, and ultimate nothingness.

His posture carried an ancient, Emperor majesty, but this majesty no longer guided humanity; instead, it was filled with a substantial, all-destroying sense of oppression.

"It's you?!"

Tzeentch's will was the first to react; for the first time, a wave of astonishment appeared within his kaleidoscopic thoughts:

"The Cursed One? No... another ' Cursed One '?!"

How could you possibly be here?!

He shouldn't... He was clearly suppressing you!

"Yes, logically speaking, I shouldn't be here."

The being known as the "Dark Emperor" slowly curled a cold, emotionless smile onto his pale, perfect face:

"It is the 'ingenious' designs of you four bastards that have repeatedly pushed humanity into the abyss of despair."

It was only through millennia of endless war, plague, treachery, and depravity that the 'light' that had been pressing down on me finally... revealed a sliver of a usable crack.

His voice was calm, yet every word was like a nail striking the will of the Four Gods, carrying a chilling sense of exhilaration, as if one had been imprisoned for millennia and finally glimpsed a sliver of freedom.

"Besides,"

He added, his tone shifting to an unquestionable command, "Stop using such an offensive term as ' the Cursed One '."

You should address me by my honored name--

He slightly raised his chin, his dark eyes sweeping over the four supreme Chaos Gods god wills:

"--The Dark King."

"The Dark King? You are not, you could not be!"

Tzeentch's voice sharpened, tinged with offended anger and a barely perceptible hint of apprehension, "' The Cursed One ' couldn't possibly be it either!"

That location... that concept...

"That's enough, Bluebird."

Khorne, who had been immersed in the revelry of war, surprisingly calmed down and became more focused.

The Blood God's voice was like a thousand swords clashing together:

"War brings destruction, and at the end of destruction lies a silent finality... If we were to say which of the four of us shares the closest characteristics with the ' Dark King's ' concept of ultimate destruction and nothingness, I'm afraid... it would only be me."

Khorne's will "looked" at the Dark Emperor: "You are not the complete ' Dark King '."

You are just a piece, a part.

Upon hearing Khorne's direct revelation of the truth, the Dark Emperor's smile vanished instantly, and the temperature plummeted below freezing.

He snorted coldly, his voice carrying the anger of having part of the truth exposed, and an even more obsessive declaration:

"Once I rise completely from that damned Golden Throne and break free from all constraints... then I am destined to be the one and only Dark King!"

His pale fingertips seemed to unconsciously brush against the hilt of the sword wreathed in black flames at his waist:

It's just a matter of time.

Time... is a poison for humans, but for me, it may be a catalyst.

"So,"

The slow, decaying scent of Nurgle seeped in, like a bewildered yet curious elder, asking, "Why are you here?"

The ' Cursed One's' condition shouldn't be so bad that it can't suppress you.

Although the help he gave to his thirteenth son was extremely costly, it did not shake the foundation of the family.

Your appearance... is illogical.

"Don't try to fathom my actions and wisdom with your maggot-filled, rotten, and sap-filled brain."

The Dark Emperor rebuked him without hesitation, scoffing at Nurgle's "fatherly" attitude, "I'm here to offer help."

"To you bunch of idiots who keep failing and whose outdated plans reek of mold, here's a... new idea."

He looked around at the invisible pressure:

"As for how I got out? I have my own methods."

Even 'another me' cannot constantly monitor every shadow and every evil thought within myself.

As long as there is enough despair and death as nourishment...

"Lie."

Tzeentch's voice suddenly became incredibly certain, interrupting the Dark Emperor.

Within the will of the Lord of Change, a cold light flashed, seeing through all changes and secrets. "I have already seen the 'line'."

The threads of the past and present intertwine... I understand how you managed to emerge.

Tzeentch's will seemed to smile maliciously, pointing towards the Dark Emperor:

"The ' Cursed One ' provided too much help to his thirteenth son, the connection was too tight, and the consumption was indeed beyond normal."

But that's not the key point.

The key is that you are at that precise moment, when the will of the ' Cursed One ' through Magnus's body as a medium, creates intense friction with the Warp, and a brief 'gap' appears in both power and attention.

You made your choice.