Bruce had to admit there was an element of gambling in his plan, but the facts proved that he had won the bet. Now, after drinking the transformation potion and taking on the form of the Emperor, he truly could wield a sliver of that great being's divine power.
It was not as though Bruce had never entertained the idea before. But in the past, even if he transformed into the Emperor, it had only been a hollow imitation. It had looked the part, but there had been no psychic power, no instinctive pressure over the Astartes. Hell, even Meiling could tell something was off.
Without psychic might, without that natural, overwhelming dominance over the Space Marines, what kind of Emperor was that supposed to be?
At best, just some bastard disguised as the Emperor.
So when Lion placed her trust in his backup plan, Bruce had been terrified. Having the Emperor appear to suppress the voices of dissent was exactly the kind of thing the Emperor would do, and yes, it would be effective.
But it could just as easily backfire, because a fake was still a fake.
Then Bruce thought back again—especially to that night when he had been kept awake by Meiling's snoring and her feet smacking him in the face—and he reached a conclusion.
The glowing chicken wrap of his had to be a blessing from the Emperor!
So Bruce gambled. He bet that the Emperor really had reached out to him. He bet that he truly had the Emperor's attention.
And the result was that he had succeeded. As the transformation potion took effect, the psychic power that belonged to the Emperor within him had been awakened as well.
Even if he could only draw on a tiny fragment of that psychic might, it was more than enough to cow the Astartes—and even a primarch.
"Nemiel, your loyalty is worthy of praise," Bruce said, putting on a perfect act.
So this is why the Emperor loves showing off in situations like this? I never understood why the golden old bastard had such a taste for it before, but now I get it.
Because it feels amazing.
"Ah..." Nemiel's voice trembled as he knelt on both knees. "To serve Your greatness is my highest honor! Your creed is my life—my everything!"
For Nemiel, this was the pinnacle of his existence. He had been acknowledged by the Emperor Himself.
I am the loyal one!
"However, you should not have contradicted my most cherished son. Lion is the master of this Legion, and you are her son."
"You should obey her unconditionally, even when her orders seem absurd to you."
There was a faint trace of regret in Bruce's tone.
"Y-Yes! I accept Your teaching, great Master of Mankind!" Nemiel bowed his head in utter shame.
"Lion."
Bruce then called softly to the Lion, who was still standing frozen in place.
At that moment, Lion's mind was probably running so hard it was about to start smoking. She knew full well that the Emperor could not possibly have suddenly left Holy Terra and appeared aboard the Invincible Reason. And Bruce's backup plan was never supposed to be capable of something like this.
Then who exactly stood before her now?
Bruce? Or... Father?
Or both?!
This feeling was so strange—so dreamlike. Two things she loved had become one.
"Father..." After several seconds of dazed silence, Lion finally followed her instinct and dropped to one knee before the Emperor-like figure on the dais.
"You are my pride, my most trusted child. You have done well. I have often wondered whether entrusting the Dark Angels Legion to you placed too great a burden upon your shoulders."
"Fortunately, my worries were unnecessary. Under your leadership, the First Legion has only grown stronger. The performance of you and your Legion fills me with pride."
"!!!"
The Emperor...
The members of the Dark Angels were so moved they could have wept. They had heard the Emperor Himself say he was proud of them.
That was the highest glory imaginable.
We would die for You, Emperor!
"But, children, as your Legion master has said, in this chaotic galaxy, the enemies you—and humanity—must face will only continue to grow stronger."
"Even the sharpest blade will dull after striking down enough foes. That holy water is a gift I have bestowed upon you."
"Though it has its flaws, it is enough to allow you to face the vast majority of dangers."
"And as Lion has said, this is a choice—not a command."
"So, my children, make the choice your hearts demand."
"I shall watch over you and stand with you in safeguarding the Imperium—and mankind."
As he spoke, Bruce quietly counted the time in his head, then began to step backward into the shadows. That would give the Dark Angels time to think for themselves, while he used the gap to revert to normal and make everything line up perfectly.
No one would ever know the truth.
On the contrary, Bruce had just gained a new secret of his own.
Not long after leaving the platform, the transformation wore off and Bruce returned to normal. By his count, the form had lasted about five minutes.
Based on previous data, if he merely cosplayed without fighting, it only lasted five minutes. So in actual battle, it would probably only last two.
Then again... borrowing two minutes of the Emperor's divine power?
That actually didn't sound so bad.
Just as Bruce was mulling over the idea, the entire ship erupted with the war cries of the Astartes. They shouted the greatness of the Emperor and the Lion alike.
There was no question about it—Bruce's speech had sent those honor-bound warriors into a frenzy.
Those seemingly plain words—if any other Legion heard them, the jealousy alone would flood the void. Even the Midnight Lords, a Legion full of gutter trash, would not be immune.
This was praise and recognition from the Emperor Himself!
As for whether the real Emperor might one day settle the score for Bruce borrowing His identity like this, Bruce felt...
Trust in the wisdom of future generations!
If You went so far as to stuff Your power into my body through psychic means, then doesn't that amount to giving me permission to do whatever I want with it?!
Besides, Bruce had already noticed something else. After drinking the transformation potion, some of his thoughts had been subtly influenced. He kept getting the urge to run away without quite knowing why.
Under those circumstances, as long as I'm not using Your face to steal chickens, rob dogs, or seduce respectable women, it should be fine... right?
Probably...
Soon after, Bruce slipped past the hidden sentries through stealth and snuck back to the gathering point from outside, observing the Dark Angels through the doorway.
Although most of them had chosen to drink the transformation potion, a fair number had decided to hold onto it and wait until later. The ratio was roughly seven to three.
Bruce was not surprised in the least. On the contrary, that seemed entirely normal. The First Legion had always been full of conservatives.
Someone had to handle the aftermath. Someone had to remain behind in case the uncontrollable happened, to clean up the mess—even if the chances of needing them were vanishingly small.
Someone had to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the whole Legion, even if they too wanted to become catgirls and share the same form as their primarch and battle-brothers.
People like that were worthy of the highest respect.
"Seventy percent... that's not bad. And everyone's convinced by Lion now... there shouldn't be any problems..."
Bruce muttered to himself while watching.
Although his backup plan had stolen the spotlight, its effect was unexpectedly superb. Not only had it persuaded the majority of the First Legion, it had also truly turned the entire matter into an Inner Circle secret.
Who cared about the process or the details of execution? What mattered was the result.
"!!!"
Suddenly, while still lost in thought, Bruce was seized by an irresistible force, slammed against the wall, and pinned there with something like a fist pressed into his stomach.
What the hell? An Inner Circle supersoldier?!
Panicking, Bruce looked down—only to realize that the one restraining him was not some Inner Circle monster, but Lion.
Her grip was frighteningly strong. Bruce could not resist at all, and the fist digging into his abdomen felt as though it could crush his power armor and pulp his insides at any second.
The strength and control of a primarch were horrifying.
"L-Lion?!" Bruce stared at the girl before him, whose lowered head and odd demeanor gave him an immediate sense of danger.
"Bruce, so this is where you were," Lion said, breathing a little unevenly.
"I-I just got here... what's wrong?"
"Could you..." Lion glanced left and right, then carefully raised her head and looked at him. "Could you transform one more time?"
"And then..."
"Praise me again?"
Faced with a Lion who had become completely unrecognizable, Bruce froze on the spot.
Emperor! Save me!
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter108)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 99
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 95
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 99
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 92
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 47
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 44
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 43
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 26
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 32
Uma Musume: From Beginner 26
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