As Morgana silently watched the metal dragon soar through the Sea of Souls, the Xenos Empire's vast army had already torn through the final veil between the Immaterium and the material universe, arriving at this nameless battlefield.
They appeared in a blood-red light, greatly diminished from their boundless numbers in the Tacus System, yet still an invincible and colossal force.
The Xenos Empire's army was as vast as the sea, occupying nearly half a star system in the blink of an eye, confronting the equally boundless Human Imperium fleet across the distance of stars and planets.
Silence and stillness seemed to be the only theme of this moment. Whether it was the warriors of the Human Imperium or the elites of the Xenos Empire, all witnessed the dazzling presence in the enemy's battle lines in a quiet atmosphere: their light even outshone the dim sun, shining brilliantly across the farthest distances.
Within the human fleet, amidst countless battleships, Gloriana-class Battleships, and Mechanicus Arks, a distant light slowly rose from the Imperator Somnium, like a lighthouse in the deepest dark, eliciting cheers like waves.
And in the boundless ocean visible only to Psykers, that was not light at all, but a coldest sun, encircled by a metal dragon, roaring occasionally with anger and fear: no matter how the dragon struggled and tore, it remained tightly grasped in the sun's palm.
At this moment, in the third eye of some individuals, two suns existed in this nameless star system.
No.
Three.
When the Xenos Emperor also appeared on the battlefield, the cheers from the xenos fleet similarly echoed through every corridor and every legion, without ceasing.
The Xenos Emperor's light was even more dazzling than that of the Lord of Mankind: it was not a gentle coldness, but pure burning, pure madness, pure self-annihilation.
But no one could discern it; ordinary mortals could only see two equally powerful lights suppressing the original daylight of this star system. They were golden and scarlet, and equally invincible.
They confronted each other, silent, rising slowly like true suns in the gaze of millions of fanatically loyal subjects and warriors. Their footsteps shattered the restraints of gravity and the cosmos, reaching the boundless stars and void, arriving at the very center of this nameless star system, upon that nameless world.
In the deepest reaches of the Immaterium, where no one could see, even the most fervent and reckless applause had ceased. Countless Unborn, accompanied by the majesty of the Four Great Powers and the manifestation of countless entities only slightly less powerful, maintained their singular moment of quiet and silence in their brief lives: silently watching this rare drama, quietly awaiting the inevitable outcome.
Under Valdor's silent gaze, Skanderbeg's uneasy grinding teeth, the unison chanting of countless Tech-Priests and Randan Psykers, and the furrowed brows of Horus and Mortarion.
In Morgana's silent gaze, so deep that not a single ray of light penetrated.
Two monarchs, two wills, slaves of two races, emperors of two empires.
Under the watchful eyes of all, in a corner unseen by anyone.
They walked to stand opposite each other.
This was the beginning.
And also the end.
——————
When it finally stepped onto this land, it felt a rare tranquility, a peace almost luxurious, almost like death.
The whispers of the gods had completely vanished, as if they no longer held any interest in it, but it could still feel their gaze: they had not left, they were merely silent, their smiles lingering on their hideous faces.
It took a step, moving forward, feeling the souls, driven mad by pain and death, tormenting it without restraint, just as they had done before, wrapping its body and sanity in blades carried by an endless cold wind.
But that no longer mattered.
It walked, moving forward.
Soon, it reached its destination successfully, so simply.
It had not done such simple things for so long that it had forgotten how long it had been.
It seemed to have forgotten too much: it seemed to have once had plans, it seemed to have desired true offspring, seemed to want to see its departed comrades again, seemed to want to leave that Imperial Palace and see what kind of lives the most ordinary Randan people led…
It seemed to want nothing but to relax, content, and escape, lying on a beach, just lying there, asking the salty sea breeze a question.
It seemed to have once wanted to do that, but at some unknown point, it had forgotten.
…Never mind.
That didn't matter.
It raised its head, and as its gaze swept over the shadows of the stars, it remembered Skanderbeg, its last friend.
It seemed that Skanderbeg was leading a fleet, a small fleet, orbiting this world. Within those fleets were only its Custodian Guard, its pride.
It was a sandy area, a desolate and savage lowland, directly exposed to the void without oxygen or radiation shielding. Under the illumination of the dimmest star, one could barely make out the grotesquely shaped shadows cast by the eroded rocks.
He was waiting for it there.
He shone, he burned, he emitted a cold light that made it unconsciously narrow its pupils, but it did not retreat further. It looked at him, at the Emperor it had confronted for so long.
The Emperor of Mankind.
The creator of impossible miracles.
It had always wanted to meet him.
It had always wanted to say something to him.
It had always wanted to ask how he had done it: awakened a race that had already died in death.
It had always wanted to ask what kind of world he desired: like its own? Different from its own? What similarities and differences did it have with its ultimate dream, where the most ordinary Randan people chose their own leaders and determined their own destinies?
It wanted to ask, it wanted to speak.
But now, at this very moment, it found itself speechless.
What could it say?
It smiled and walked forward.
Too long.
Too long.
Too long.
…
Now, let it all end.
——————
The Lord of Mankind wore the most noble and sacred armor. At this moment, he was not holding the burning golden sword, but tightly clutching another silver-white light.
He had taken it from the dungeons of Mars, violating a promise he had made, and from that moment on, it had ceaselessly tried to break free.
He held it tightly, letting his power continuously repair the scorched skin and flesh, allowing some wounds to appear in places no one could see.
As he did all this, he was enveloped in light, preventing anyone from clearly seeing his actions. All he could hear were praises of nobility and sanctity.
Noble, sacred…
The words he despised the most.
Just like this armor.
From the moment he donned this armor and took up his sword, he constantly yearned for the day he could shed them.
He swore that once removed, he would never need to wear them again.
This might be difficult, but he soon remembered one of his children: his Horus, his Warmaster, his Sagittarius.
With him, this would not be an ethereal fantasy.
He thought so, believing it firmly.
Then, he raised his head.
The Xenos had approached him.
At this moment, it was as tall as a Hive City, like an Invincible Dragon standing before a tender child, yet the Lord of Mankind merely raised his head, tightly gripping the nameless weapon.
He had faced more powerful foes, more desperate situations: countless times.
Their outcomes were always the same.
He raised his head, looking at the other Emperor, the ruler of the Randan, the Xenos.
The corpse.
Beneath the light, he could even see its body devoid of skin and flesh: for any flesh had been utterly consumed at the moment of its birth. He saw the souls, crowded, roaring souls, screaming at him, like summer night insects swarming around a bright lamp.
They were malice, they were resentment, they were masterless demons, they were countless hideous faces, manipulated by distant gods with a sneer, transformed into twisted mirrors, revealing earnest and false futures to him.
He saw it.
He saw the fires of war burning across the galaxy, from Holy Terra to Ultramar, every inch of land struggling for survival in gas and desolation. The stories of Arkadios and Honorius descended upon his dominion.
He saw the crimson fire burning in the pupils of ambitious individuals: they were Primarchs, Astartes, nobles, commoners, the most aloof, the most lowly, their fury collectively burning, consuming his Imperium.
He saw it, he saw the enraged angel raise a sacred golden spear, piercing the dying figure beneath silver hair, illuminated by endless light. His pupils wept tears of blood, grieving deeply over his own and his kinsmen's strife.
He saw it, he saw another crown placed upon the head of the reluctant perfectionist. Three kinsmen, each with their own schemes, cheered his ascension, celebrating yet another empire amidst sincerity and suspicion.
He saw it, he saw bullets ringing from gun barrels, one shot killing a generation.
He saw it, he saw light flash in three points, a single ray destroying a world.
He saw it.
He saw the snow-white bones.
They were the Xenos Emperor's bones.
They were the Xenos Emperor's pain.
They were the Xenos Emperor's eternity.
It shrieked, it suffered, it witnessed the most horrific atrocity amidst endless distortion, regret, and torment: the demise of its race.
It was trapped there, trapped within the shrieks of the gods, trapped within opulent halls, trapped by the ropes of struggle, responsibility, guilt, and remorse, trapped within its own former hopes…
It was trapped there.
Ten thousand years, and then ten thousand more.
——————
He looked at it.
He looked at the Xenos Emperor.
He looked at himself.
——————
Then, he raised his weapon.
He spoke only one word.
That was the beginning and the end.
That was judgment and mercy.
He spoke.
——————
[Die]
——————
Light blazed, drawn from a dark place.
The giant dragon roared, rising from beneath the dust.
Judgment, sanctity, glory, death…
A moment felt like ten thousand years.
As Valdor, who remained in orbit around this desolate world, slowly raised his head, he could see everything before him.
He saw the gods laughing, their joy and boredom such fickle things. When that brief delight vanished with death, their figures disappeared into the sky, returning to their eternal tedium and strife.
He saw the world crumbling, the dazzling light like a thousand suns rising simultaneously in a clear sky, the blinding colors like ten thousand golden leaves reflecting their light at once under the scorching sun. The desolate world was collapsing, for with that single strike, countless stars were falling into the world.
It was the Emperor's single strike.
Only one strike.
And all returned to silence.
Accompanied by countless cheers, countless wails, countless undeniable hysterics, countless jubilant shouts filling the heavens, countless echoes resounding through the human and xenos warships, utterly contrary: echoes from heaven and hell, from triumphant pursuit and panicked flight.
Valdor raised his head. He heard another sound, a voice so faint, so sacred, so unique.
He listened carefully.
Finally, he understood.
It was the sound of the Xenos, the sound of an Emperor, the sound of eternity.
It was a sigh.
Nothing more.
As it slowly dissipated, without grandeur, without miracles or struggle, everything ended: a declaration and promise concerning the galaxy, a war and competition concerning destiny, an eternal sacrifice and fantasy.
It dissipated.
It ended.
It ceased to be.
——————
An Emperor is dead.
——————
Valdor lowered his head. He had no time to consider more: the Randan fleet seemed to have, at that moment, felt an undeniable truth. When their disbelief rose again with the golden light, it transformed into utter madness and collapse.
However, not all Randan warriors were so. At least, in the fleet that Valdor's forces supervised and confronted, another kind of determination ignited.
The Randan Custodian Guard.
Valdor had heard of them; he would not deny their strength.
He spoke.
"Prepare for battle."
"Target: the Xenos in orbit known as the Randan Custodian Guard."
"Enemy numbers… forty thousand."
"No limitations on means."
"Leave no survivors."
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).