That almost imperceptible glimmer was the Emperor's remaining consciousness.
The Master of Mankind was still holding fast, still resisting the Dark King. He had not completely fallen into the abyss of Chaos.
Not long ago, his lingering consciousness had awakened under the influence of the authority of hope and begun watching the entire battlefield.
"I was right about him. That boy is the true guide of humanity, its true savior.
"He has done better than I ever did. He can lead mankind into genuine prosperity."
The Emperor's remaining consciousness watched the struggle atop the Throne, unable to suppress a trace of excitement and relief.
The Savior had pinned down the Dark Emperor with overwhelming strength, holding back that abominable fetus and preventing the birth of the Dark King.
Granted, the boy's methods were a little violent. He was publicly beating the Dark Emperor formed from the Emperor's own bones, smashing apart the Emperor's majesty on a grand scale.
But the Emperor did not care.
In his eyes, this was a good thing. Perhaps from this day onward, no one would treat him as an omniscient, omnipotent, untouchable god anymore.
Then he would no longer have to bear that terrifying pressure of faith.
The Emperor even felt a little guilty. In a way, Eden had voluntarily shouldered that vast burden of faith in his place.
He had failed to suppress the darkness, forcing the boy onto the irreversible path of becoming a god.
"Perhaps this is destiny.
"One day, that boy may also become like me, inevitably falling into the endless abyss. No one can escape the rules of the Warp."
The Emperor's voice was filled with worry.
If possible, he would rather have the Savior kill him than let this future hope of humanity set foot on this path.
Unfortunately, that was impossible. He could no longer be killed, and the Dark King was the same.
And in order to ease the immense pressure of faith upon the Sacred Sun, the Savior had no choice but to climb the stairway to apotheosis.
It was this guilt that made the Emperor exceptionally tolerant toward the Savior. A beating like this was nothing. Even if the boy stepped on his face, it would be fine.
He knew it was all for humanity, for the Imperium. The Savior had been forced to endure far too much suffering.
"If not for me, and if not for the Imperium's inevitable fall, perhaps Eden would still be hiding away on Urth, living the good life?"
That was what the Emperor thought.
He understood the Savior's personality. If not for the pressure of survival, the boy might have spent his entire life ruling one corner of space as a sector governor, indulging in pleasure and luxury.
The Master of Mankind was worried about the Savior's fate. He feared Eden would lose control and fall into darkness just as he had.
But very quickly, the Emperor thought of something and relaxed.
"Forget it. Let that brat worry about it himself. He understands how to handle faith better than I do. Perhaps he really can solve this problem for good.
"An old relic like me, left behind by the times, should just retire quietly..."
He also wanted to live a carefree life like he had back in ancient Rome.
The Emperor's remnant soul pondered this as he calmly watched the Savior beat him up—no, not him. The Dark Emperor.
He could not help showing a faint smile. The corrosive force of destruction was showing signs of being suppressed. Hope still remained.
As for dignity or face, the Emperor did not care at all.
What had he not done back in ancient Rome? He had even earned the charming title of the Roman She-Wolf.
During the creation of the Imperium, he had also used religion to deceive the Adeptus Mechanicus, cleverly equating himself with the Omnissiah.
He had turned himself into the divine incarnation of Martian legend.
He had also shamelessly deceived the Chaos Gods, allowing the Primarchs to gain the power of the Warp.
As for why the Emperor had seemed inviolable in the past, even tyrannical, it was because time had been short and the pressure from the Warp had been immense.
He had no choice but to cultivate a personality cult and establish absolute authority in order to suppress the Primarchs and other arrogant, battle-hardened commanders.
To put it simply, the Emperor and the Savior were both pragmatists. They did whatever was useful.
Just as he had once forbidden the use of psychic power, then later employed it on a massive scale. He had never been the sort to obsess over so-called rules and decrees.
"Now this is my true heir. He has learned the essence of how I do things. Far better than those Primarch sons of mine..."
The Emperor felt a little emotional.
He vaguely realized that the Savior had already surpassed him. The boy was even better at fooling people than the Master of Mankind.
And he rarely made mistakes or blunders. He never let his enemies learn his weaknesses.
Unlike the Master of Mankind himself, who had botched one move and been savagely trapped by the Chaos Gods, ending up in this ghostly state.
What a painful lesson that had been.
Fortunately, Eden had not failed his expectations. Not only had he stabilized the Imperium, he had even given the Emperor a chance to safely leave the Throne.
Perhaps once this battle was won, he would be able to leave the Throne and live the retirement he had long dreamed of.
For example, he could go to some feudal world and become a minor lord who farmed a little land.
As the Emperor pondered this, he saw the Primarchs beneath the Throne. Their minds had been suppressed and corroded by the Dark Emperor, forcing them to kneel.
His brow furrowed, and his mood instantly soured.
The wills of those Primarch sons were still not strong enough. They had actually submitted beneath the pressure of the Dark King's fetus, even kneeling and worshiping Him?
The Emperor looked at the Savior struggling against the Dark King, then looked at the pathetic Primarchs kneeling on the ground.
He grew even more depressed. How were his own Primarch children so much worse than the Savior?
Even the best among them still fell far short compared to him.
"What are those Primarch wretches doing..."
Very soon, the Emperor turned toward the Primarchs and happened to see that stubborn bastard Rogal Dorn turn his head away.
Perhaps the Lord of the Phalanx could not bear to see the bones and image of the Emperor—his father—being damaged.
But in his anger, choosing to cover his eyes and ears and refuse to look was even more pathetic.
This only made the Emperor more dissatisfied. These Primarchs were far too lacking. They had been cowed by the Dark King far too easily.
Then he noticed the faint, almost imperceptible mockery from certain Primarchs, and he became even angrier.
Those rebellious sons actually dared mock their own father. Did they think he could no longer swing a psychic bitch-slap?
The Emperor knew the Savior was doing this to save him, while some of those "dutiful sons" were purely watching the show.
They were using this chance to get back at him for the discipline and punishments he had inflicted on those unruly brats back then. Deep down, they were probably laughing in secret and making snide comments.
Yet when the Emperor got angry, all he could do was get angry.
He had already become a remnant soul. He really could not swing a psychic bitch-slap anymore. Before the Dark King was suppressed, he could not do anything.
While the Emperor was stewing in frustration, he soon noticed some form of covert observation.
When he discovered that Fulgrim and Magnus were secretly recording footage of the Dark Emperor getting beaten atop the Throne, he could no longer keep it together.
His anger burned, and he trembled with rage.
These Chaos-fallen "dutiful sons" truly had nerve. They actually dared commit such treasonous behavior.
Not only were they cheering, they even dared secretly film this humiliating sight of the father of the Primarchs?
They were simply outrageously bold.
Once those "dutiful sons" obtained the footage, who knew how they would twist it against him?
Especially Fulgrim. That rebellious son would probably use the footage to create something extremely blasphemous!
What angered the Emperor even more was that Fulgrim and Magnus were also sneaking closer to the Throne, trying to follow the Savior's lead and strike the Dark Emperor.
The Emperor saw through them at a glance. Those two rebellious sons were not sincerely helping. They merely wanted to take advantage of the chaos and kick him a few times.
After all, the Dark Emperor was using his image. Kicking the Dark Emperor a few times was, in a sense, also kicking him, the father of the Primarchs.
"As expected of my sons. You really do have guts!"
The Emperor's remnant soul stared at those two sneaky things and suppressed the anger in his heart.
He was angry, but he was not planning to punish them.
After all, they had returned to the Imperium in a roundabout way, and they were helping the Savior deal with the Dark King.
At least they were better than the Primarchs who had been cowed and could not come up to attack.
He endured it.
However, the Emperor quickly changed his mind—especially when he saw Fulgrim and Magnus get shouted down by the Dark Emperor, then tumble down the steps in terror and disgrace.
It was utterly humiliating.
"Useless trash. I should have poured you into the sewer back then!"
The Emperor was so furious he almost exploded. He hated that they could not live up to his expectations. If they had even half the Savior's ability, he would never have had to sit on that damned Throne.
He recorded the Primarchs' behavior one by one, making a list so he could settle accounts later—assuming he ever got the chance.
The Seven Wolves belt continued charging, while the Primarch sons remained utterly unaware that their old father had already put them on a list.
In the Throne area, the struggle between the Savior and the Dark King grew increasingly intense. Corrupt energy darted wildly everywhere, and anything struck by it was torn apart from time to time.
It was utterly annihilated. Even fully armed warriors were no exception.
They had no choice but to withdraw farther back.
The Primarchs and Imperial warriors looked at the Savior's back with even deeper admiration, while the Greater Daemons and daemons of Chaos felt dread, even terror.
The Savior had even beaten the Accursed One, the Dark King. Did that not prove he was even more terrifying?
As Eden's prestige surged, the title of Daemon-Eater gradually grew no less fearsome than the Accursed One. In fact, it sounded even more frightening.
Rumors spread through the Warp, becoming more absurd with each telling. According to legend, this Daemon-Eater would tear daemons apart, then devour them alive together with their souls, chewing slowly and savoring every bite.
Fortunately, the Savior, the Daemon-Eater, was not as mad as the Accursed One, the Dark King.
He would not destroy daemons for no reason. He would even help them, just as he was now stepping forward to stop the Dark King.
As long as they did not anger the Daemon-Eater, they would not face too much danger. They might even have a chance to receive generous gifts and become favored children of the Lord of Hell.
Unknowingly, through this war, both the Savior and the Lord of Hell had become powerful beings in the Warp who could no longer be ignored.
Their might was already no less than that of the Chaos Gods. They could even be mentioned in the same breath as the former Accursed One.
Within the Warp, the Chaos Gods looked at the Savior and the Lord of Hell, their expressions growing hesitant.
They were worried.
"Perhaps we made a mistake and created a new Accursed One..."
Grandfather Nurgle swallowed a mouthful of thick phlegm and gripped his scorched hand, deeply troubled. Even the Nurglings had stopped singing.
He had suffered too many injuries. He did not want a new Accursed One to appear.
To supreme gods like them, that would be another new threat.
"I see a new danger. Blades are hidden along the path of fate. We should remove them as soon as possible."
Tzeentch was restless, his voice filled with temptation.
"Perhaps we need a perfect scheme, one that makes the Savior and the Dark King perish together so neither can ever appear in the Warp again."
The Changer of Ways, the God of Schemes, could not help wanting to create new chaos now that the situation had eased.
If he could plot against both the Savior and the Dark King at once and drive them toward ruin, what an exhilarating thing that would be.
"No. No one is allowed to interfere with this. Otherwise, before you can act, I will vent all the wrath of war upon you!"
Khorne the Blood God tightened his grip on his blood axe, threatening the Changer of Ways who was attempting to undermine the alliance, and warning the Plague Lord as well.
"No one can bear the consequences of the Savior's failure right now. We must have absolute victory and completely suppress the Dark King."
The God of War's tone was cold. "As for the Savior, his threat level cannot be compared to the Dark King's. He is not even as dangerous as the Accursed One. His authorities are crude imitations, with little destructive force.
"If not for our help, he would not be able to resist the Dark King at all, much less possess such power.
"Once the Dark King's birth fails, we will withdraw all the authority we lent him. The Savior will be beaten back to his original form. No matter how great his prestige becomes, he will not be able to destroy us!"
Khorne the Blood God analyzed the Savior's situation with remarkable calm.
The Savior's essence was too gentle. Even if he imitated the gods' powers and gathered an immense amount of faith, he still could not compare to the Accursed One.
In the God of War's view, the Savior was at most a nuisance, a small-time troublemaker. Compared to the former Accursed One, he was nothing more than an annoying rat that burrowed holes everywhere.
He would be much easier to deal with.
They only needed one opportunity to crush him completely.
But not now.
The Chaos Gods needed to use the Savior to completely destroy and suppress the Dark King, ending ten thousand years of fear and mortal threat.
Under Khorne the Blood God's threats, Grandfather Nurgle and the Changer of Ways also fell silent.
They knew the Blood God was right.
Without the Accursed One and the Dark King, the Savior would not be able to stir up much trouble. He could only swagger around the Warp, tricking a few useless believers to inflate his prestige.
Even if the Savior somehow became one of the supreme dark gods, he still would not pose much of a threat to them.
Just like the four of them, none could truly do anything to the others.
After their argument ended, the Chaos Gods continued drawing faith-based warp energy from their divine domains to supply the Savior.
They allowed him to maintain his suppression of the Dark King. Every second, a vast ocean of faith-based warp energy was consumed.
Their divine domains visibly grew barren.
"Damn it. Is that bastard using our power to build his own divine domain?!"
Suddenly, Grandfather Nurgle noticed something and began cursing.
The Lord of Hell's divine domain already had an embryonic form. It was gradually becoming solid, and there were even signs of expansion.
They had agreed that everyone would contribute faith-based warp energy to eradicate the Dark King. Yet that bastard was secretly scooping some into his own divine domain. Was he not bullying an honest god?
However angry the Chaos Gods were, there was nothing they could do. Who made the Savior their only hope?
They endured it.
Once everything was over, they would divide up the Lord of Hell's divine domain!
From beginning to end, the Lord of Excess remained silent, his gaze carrying a strange undertone.
Even his legs were trembling slightly.
...
In the Golden Throne area, because of the influence of high-intensity corrupt energy, no one outside could see what was happening inside anymore.
While controlling the Sun of Hope to suppress the Dark King, Eden secretly moved the overflowing faith-based warp energy "home" to build his divine domain.
There was nothing he could do about it. Once he no longer had the protection of the Sacred Sun, he would have to rely on himself. He had to seize this rare opportunity and skim off as much as he could.
That way, he could strengthen himself.
It would also make it easier to advance his later plans.
Meanwhile, his true body continued battling the Dark Emperor inside the Golden Throne. But as he fought, he began to feel a little tired.
More importantly, something felt wrong.
"Savior, you cannot destroy me. You cannot destroy the authority that represents destruction, and you cannot stop it!"
The Dark Emperor spoke.
He would only continue to grow stronger as the cracks expanded. Since his opponent could not destroy or stop him, the descent of the corrosion of destruction was inevitable.
In at most thirteen breaths, even the Savior would no longer be able to prevent his birth!
"Who said I was trying to destroy you? Do you know what a death scissor lock is?"
Eden sensed something and stared at the Dark Emperor before him, a terrifying aura radiating from his entire body.
???
After hearing the Savior's words, the Dark Emperor shuddered. He vaguely sensed that his opponent was about to do something horrifying.
In the next instant, he went numb. Heaven and earth spun around him.
Snap!
The Savior had already launched himself into the air. His legs locked around the Dark Emperor's head, and he twisted down in a 180-degree rotation.
Even the Emperor's remnant soul beside them was stunned. He could not help sucking in a cold breath.
He did not think he had ever seen such a mighty technique before.
Eden used the scissor lock to "crush" the Dark Emperor's head. After hurling him to the ground, he used the full power of his body and authorities to pin him down completely.
He made it impossible for him to keep moving.
A faint smile appeared on Eden's face.
"My goal was never to destroy you. It was to restrain you. Now you have no chance left.
"You are about to face your true enemy. A force you cannot resist..."
The moment his voice fell, the Dark Emperor discovered that his authority of destruction had visibly weakened.
He had lost a full one ten-thousandth of it. The time of his birth had been delayed again.
At the same time, within the galaxy and the Warp, several dark rifts slowly vanished under the blockade of Blackstone Fortresses.
This was Eden's plan: buy enough time for the relevant disaster-relief teams to sever the Dark King's tentacles.
The entire Imperium boiled with fervor.
Countless engineering fleets rushed one after another toward every region affected by the dark rifts, and even into the Warp itself.
United as one, they fought against the black tide.
Hundreds of billions, even trillions, threw themselves into the anti-black-tide disaster-relief effort. They were the true force capable of suppressing the Dark King.
That was the power of humanity!
(End of Chapter)
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