Chapter 237 — Beneath the Broken Throne
The Man smiled calmly.
Behind him, the Warp tear widened further.
Then reality itself began to fail.
The comforting warmth inside the throne room vanished, replaced by a cold that spread through the chamber unnaturally fast.
Whispers followed.
Thousands of voices filled the air at once.
Some cried.
Some laughed.
Some begged softly for salvation.
Naruto frowned immediately.
"What the hell is that…"
Even hearing it made their skin crawl.
Inside the chamber, civilians reacted almost at once.
A woman near the broken staircase screamed and grabbed her head as blood poured from her ears. Nearby, a man collapsed beside a pillar, twitching violently while whispering prayers toward the throne.
Others began changing.
One civilian's fingers stretched unnaturally as bone pushed through skin. Another's eyes turned completely gold while cracks spread across their face like fractures in glass.
The chamber shook violently.
Gravity shifted for a moment.
Several civilians lifted slightly from the floor before crashing back down hard enough to break bones.
Children screamed.
Order collapsed completely.
People ran toward exits in blind panic while others curled against the walls crying as reality twisted around them.
The Ultramarines reacted immediately.
"Move the survivors!"
"Seal the eastern corridor!"
"Purge the corrupted!"
Bolter fire thundered across the throne room.
A mutated civilian lunged toward fleeing workers,
Three bolter rounds tore it apart instantly.
Another worshipper rushed an Ultramarine screaming prayers.
A bolt shell exploded through his chest.
No hesitation remained now.
The Space Marines already understood the truth.
The Palace Spire was on the verge of becoming a full Warp breach.
One Ultramarine carried terrified civilians beneath one arm while firing one-handed into charging corrupted bodies. Another kicked aside fallen debris to clear evacuation routes through the collapsing hall.
Within minutes, the throne room had become a disaster zone.
At the center of it all, Gaius stood still for one brief moment.
Observation Haki spread outward silently.
Beyond the throne room.
Beyond the Palace Spire.
Across Varrak Prime itself.
And what he sensed hardened his expression slightly.
The corruption was spreading.
Not only inside the palace.
Across the hive city.
Riots had already begun deeper in the lower districts. Civilians collapsed in the streets while whispers spread through entire sectors. Some claimed shadows were moving inside walls. Others were killing each other out of blind terror.
Reality itself was weakening.
The Man was no longer simply a corrupted psyker.
He was becoming a doorway.
If this continued, Varrak Prime would die.
And it would not end there.
Nearby systems could follow. Billions would be lost, and another Eye of Terror could be born in this region of space.
The battle could no longer continue slowly.
Gaius began walking forward again.
Steady.
Certain.
The Man watched him carefully.
Then his smile slowly faded.
Golden cracks spread across his skin as light leaked from beneath his flesh. His eyes had become completely gold now, no pupils remaining.
When he spoke again, several voices echoed beneath his own.
"You still refuse to understand."
Warp energy poured from his body like smoke.
"The Imperium abandoned these people."
His voice spread through the collapsing hall.
"They starved while Terra demanded obedience."
The Man pointed toward the terrified civilians fleeing around the chamber.
"I gave them hope."
Naruto stayed silent.
Tanya's eyes narrowed.
Tony was quiet, watching.
Saeko didn't move.
Mindy looked uneasy.
Diana's expression hardened.
A massive crack spread across the ceiling overhead.
Gaius calmly reached toward his helmet.
Then removed it.
The members of the Multiversal Chat fell silent.
For the first time, they saw his face during battle.
Naruto blinked.
"…he looks normal."
Mindy nodded, agreeing with Naruto.
Tanya didn't speak.
Tony stayed quiet, watching.
Saeko and Diana remained calm.
They knew Gaius' personality better than the rest.
Just calm. Rational. Focused.
Gaius lowered the helmet to his side and continued walking forward through the collapsing throne room.
Then the Iron Halo activated fully.
Golden light erupted outward behind him.
Layer after layer of radiant energy formed around his body.
The effect was immediate.
Warp lightning struck the Halo,
And shattered apart harmlessly.
Psychic pressure slammed into the shield and dispersed into the air.
Even the distortion around him weakened.
Golden light surrounded Gaius while red corruption spread across the throne room around him.
The contrast was impossible to ignore.
For the first time,
The Man showed uncertainty.
Then Gaius raised one arm.
Golden energy gathered around the gauntlet slowly.
The air became heavy.
Even the whispers weakened briefly.
Then the Emperor's Claw manifested around his arm.
Massive golden talons formed from radiant psychic force.
The reaction was immediate.
The Warp tear behind the throne convulsed violently.
The Man stopped smiling entirely.
Several civilians collapsed instinctively to their knees.
Naruto felt it too even though he is a mere projection.
The pressure coming from the weapon felt completely different from the Man's psychic influence.
Cleaner.
Heavier.
Real.
The Man attacked.
This time without restraint.
Psychic force exploded across the chamber like a storm as he crossed the distance instantly.
Warp lightning screamed through the throne room.
Gaius met him head-on.
BOOM.
The collision shattered the remaining staircase completely.
Debris crashed across the chamber.
Several fleeing civilians disappeared beneath falling stone instantly.
Even an Ultramarine was struck, ragdolling to the side of the throne room. The others immediately moved in to retrieve him.
The Man attacked again and again with desperate force now.
Psychic blasts ripped through pillars.
Warp distortions tore chunks from the walls.
The throne chamber collapsed further with every exchange.
And through all of it,
Gaius kept moving forward.
The Man slammed psychic-enhanced fists into him repeatedly.
Cracks spread across Gaius' armor.
Warp lightning burned across his body.
One blast tore part of his shoulder armor apart completely.
Yet he did not slow.
Flesh repaired itself beneath the damaged ceramite.
Broken tissue regenerated rapidly even as the battle continued.
Slowly, the Man realized something horrifying.
Nothing was working.
Fear no longer worked.
Pressure no longer worked.
For the first time since the battle began,
He retreated.
Panic flickered visibly across his face.
Then he unleashed everything at once.
Psychic force exploded outward violently.
Invisible pressure crushed inward from every direction.
The floor beneath Gaius' boots cracked deeply as the force pinned him in place.
The Man breathed heavily now.
Finally strained.
"You cannot resist forever!"
Warp energy flooded the chamber.
The remaining civilians screamed as the pressure distorted the air itself.
The Multiversal Chat's members tensed immediately.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"…he can't move."
Mindy stiffened. "Gaius—!"
Tony leaned forward slightly, focus sharpened.
Saeko's calm broke for the first time, eyes narrowing.
Diana's expression tightened.
Tanya's face was solemn, watching closely.
The Man walked toward Gaius while maintaining the immense psychic force crushing him from every direction, pinning him completely in place.
The pressure cracked the floor beneath Gaius' boots even further.
The Man stopped directly in front of him.
"Why can't you just give up?" he asked quietly.
"Why become my enemy?"
His voice lowered.
"We could save humanity together."
He raised a hand toward Gaius, intending to finish it.
Then Gaius suddenly spat acid directly into the Man's face.
The attack hit instantly.
The Man screamed.
A real scream.
The acid burned through psychic barriers immediately.
One side of his face melted rapidly as Warp energy destabilized around the wound.
Terror filled his voice.
"You—!"
He was not the only one shocked.
The Multiversal Chat's members froze for a second.
Tony blinked.
"...Gaius can spit acid?!"
Naruto stared in disbelief.
Mindy looked just as shocked beside him.
Even Tanya's eyes widened slightly.
Saeko blinked once, clearly caught off guard.
Diana stared silently for a moment.
Gaius broke free instantly.
The Emperor's Claw ignited brighter.
Golden light erupted outward from the weapon.
The Man lashed out desperately.
Psychic storms tore through the collapsing chamber.
Pillars shattered.
The ceiling caved inward.
Ultramarines dragged civilians toward evacuation routes while shooting corrupted worshippers charging blindly through the chaos.
One fleeing civilian exploded from psychic overload, covering nearby survivors in blood.
Another mutation crawled from beneath rubble before being blown apart by bolter fire.
Everything had become madness.
And through all of it,
Gaius moved straight through the psychic storm.
Warp lightning crashed against the Iron Halo and shattered apart harmlessly.
The Man screamed desperately.
"Humanity needed me—!"
Gaius answered calmly.
"No."
He crossed the final distance instantly.
"They didn't need you."
Then the Emperor's Claw struck.
Golden talons tore directly through the Man's body.
Not only flesh.
Something deeper shattered with him.
The Warp presence connected to him screamed.
The entire throne room shook hard enough to throw civilians and Ultramarines from their feet.
The Man stared downward silently for one brief moment.
Golden cracks spread across his entire body.
Then he began breaking apart.
Light burst from the wounds across him.
Warp energy exploded outward uncontrollably.
Then the Warp tear began collapsing inward.
Fast.
Very fast.
"Move!" an Ultramarine roared.
The Palace Spire began collapsing immediately.
Without the Man sustaining the illusion, the chamber's true appearance revealed itself completely.
The golden walls vanished.
Rotting flesh covered the stone beneath.
The throne itself pulsed weakly like dying meat.
The beautiful chamber had always been a corpse hidden beneath lies.
Surviving civilians stared around themselves in horror.
Some collapsed crying.
Others vomited where they stood.
And still
A few whispered prayers toward the dying remains of the Man.
Because even now, they still wanted someone to save them.
Warp energy imploded inward violently.
Debris rained from above.
Ultramarines forced civilians through collapsing evacuation corridors while carrying the wounded across falling rubble.
Then,
Silence.
The Warp tear closed completely.
The whispers vanished.
The pressure disappeared.
The throne chamber finally fell still.
Only destruction remained.
Broken marble.
Blood.
Warp ash.
Bodies scattered across the ruined hall.
At the center of the devastation stood Gaius alone.
The Emperor's Claw slowly faded from around his arm.
His armor was heavily damaged now. Blood ran from the exposed gaps where ceramite had broken apart.
But he remained standing.
Behind him,
Varrak Prime still lived.
Barely.
But it survived.
The Multiversal Chat members watched in silence as Gaius stood victorious.
It was also the first time they had seen him injured this badly.
~~~
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