...
Samuel Young did not exchange many words with his sons; the invisible coercion permeating the heaven and earth had already explained everything.
He took a step forward, his black and gold armor emitting a low, rhythmic sound of metal friction with his movements, and walked straight toward the edge of that boundless, faintly pulsing meat blanket.
His gaze was profound, like two ancient wells containing sparks of stars, firmly locked onto those dense human eyes embedded in the flesh-colored tissue.
As the Emperor approached, the nearby colonial humans seemed to sense the descent of an existence far beyond their comprehension, and countless pairs of eyes simultaneously turned toward the Emperor.
Their gazes converged on this giant who was over five and a half meters tall, his body naturally flowing with a gentle yet unignorable golden halo.
In these gazes, there was initially blankness and confusion, as if trying to discern whether this was an illusion or reality.
But soon, that brief curiosity was replaced by a deeper, more deeply rooted emotion—a near-humble resolution solely seeking death.
In the perception of these colonial humans who retained complete human consciousness, Samuel Young, as well as the Primarchs and Honor Guards behind him, exuded a unique aura belonging to humans, even though their life forms were unimaginably powerful.
They subconsciously understood Samuel Young and the others as perhaps being the descendants of human exiles who successfully escaped the terrifying modifications of the Qu civilization, or human compatriots from relatively distant star sectors not yet touched by the shadow of the Qu.
Regardless of which it was, in the eyes of these colonial humans, it meant that the spark of hope still existed.
However, this did not bring any comfort to themselves.
The eternal torment lasting for an unknown number of centuries had long completely erased the word hope from the dictionary of their souls.
Their only thought was to rely on the hands of these sudden, seemingly powerful compatriots to end this endless agony.
They could not speak and could only transmit a silent yet deafening plea through their eyes:
Leave here quickly, escape this cursed galaxy!
If... if you still have a trace of pity in your hearts, before you leave, please use your power to completely purify us and grant us our long-desired eternal sleep!
This is our only, and final, wish.
...
...
Samuel Young stood at the edge of the meat blanket, his powerful psionic perception acting like the most delicate sensor, clearly capturing this death-seeking intent converging from billions of souls, surging forth like a tsunami.
The pain and despair contained within were enough to cause anyone with a weak mind to instantly collapse.
His armor-covered fingers slightly curled inward, and the last ripple in his eyes returned to absolute calmness—it was an absolute control that compressed destructive power to the extreme before a storm arrived.
The next second, a sudden change occurred.
Samuel Young's originally deep, universe-like eyes were suddenly and completely filled with a pure, blazing golden light, as if two miniature stars had been ignited within his eyes.
Immediately after, a golden radiance of indescribable brilliance and majesty, using him as the origin, rapidly expanded outward silently like a supernova explosion.
This light was not a physical explosion; it had no shockwave and no heat, yet it contained a majestic, world-altering mighty power.
The light swept past the Honor Guards, past the solemn Custodes, and past the grim-faced Primarchs. It caused them no harm; instead, it brought a strange warmth and tranquility.
However, its speed exceeded the speed of light. In almost the instant a thought could reach, the golden tide had already swept across the entire atmosphere of the planet Grum IV. Viewed from orbit, it briefly transformed this originally dim and despairing planet into a golden gem shining brilliantly in the dark universe.
The dazzling, intense, and omnipresent golden light forced all the colonial humans on the planet's surface to involuntarily and tightly shut the only organ they could freely move—their eyes.
The light was too intense, as if it would directly pierce through their eyelids and scorch their souls.
"What happened?"
"Did those giant compatriots launch an attack?"
"Is it finally... finally going to end?"
Countless similar thoughts flashed rapidly across the shared, shattered consciousness network of the colonial humans.
They waited for their expected release, waiting for that instant when their consciousness would return to nothingness.
However... the expected destruction did not arrive.
In that brief moment when they closed their eyes and were enveloped by the golden light, an unprecedented perception, so unfamiliar that it made their souls tremble, began to moisten their long-numbed nerves like an early spring stream.
Was that a breeze?
A gentle breeze carrying the fragrance of grass and soil, brushing past their... cheeks?
This feeling was so ancient that it had almost been forgotten in the deepest parts of their memories.
Immediately after, a stronger impact followed—the extreme agony that had plagued them for countless centuries, gnawing at every single one of their sensory cells at every moment, had actually disappeared?
Replacing it was an indescribable comfort and tranquility, as if they were soaked in a warm hot spring.
Their torsos were no longer heavy burdens fused with the earth, and a sense of independent and flexible limbs came from all over their bodies?
Wait!
Hands?!
Feet?!
This realization exploded like a thunderclap in the consciousness of all the colonial humans!
In disbelief, carrying an almost fearful anticipation, they trembled and attempted to open their eyes.
The scene that caught their eyes left them completely stunned.
A vast, boundless, and lush green prairie extended toward the horizon. Pure white clouds floated in an azure, washed-clean sky, and the soft sunlight spilling down was warm but not scorching.
The air was filled with the breath of life, and crisp bird songs could be heard in the distance.
There was no rusted metal here, no foul air, no flesh-colored meat blanket covering the earth, and certainly no eternal agony.
As for themselves...
They looked down and saw human arms, saw hands with distinct fingers, saw sturdy legs, and felt the sensation of their soles stepping firmly on the soft grass.
They were no longer eyes embedded in a meat blanket, no longer part of a massive, agonizing symbiote, but had instead regained independent, complete, and healthy human bodies?
This...
How was this possible?!!
Shock swept over every reborn soul like a tsunami.
Astonishment, bewilderment, disbelief...
Ultimately, all these emotions transformed into an almost crazed, cathartic ecstasy!
"Are we... are we dead?! Hahaha! Is this the afterlife?!"
A gruff male voice was the first to break the silence, his voice filled with relieved sobs. "We finally don't have to suffer anymore! This feels great! So incredibly great!"
"We are free... truly free..."
More people began to cry, shout, and laugh hysterically. They forcefully slapped their chests and arms to feel the real touch, greedily breathed the fresh air, and rolled and ran on the grass, venting the pain and suppression accumulated over countless years.
Amidst the excitement, deeply buried hatred and unwillingness also began to surface.
"But... but I'm so unwilling!" a voice cried out tearfully. "We clearly... we clearly repelled those damned Qu twice! Twice! Why... why did we lose to speed the last time! If they hadn't arrived so fast, our fleets could have clearly..."
"That's right! I really wish... I really wish we had the chance to personally teach those scumbags a lesson! To let them taste what it feels like to be modified and tortured!"
Resentful roars echoed through the crowd. Even though they believed this was the afterlife, that bone-deep hatred still could not be erased.
Right at this moment, a grand, peaceful voice that also contained supreme majesty sounded, as if coming from the clouds, yet also ringing directly in the depths of everyone's minds, clearly drowning out all the clamor: "Everyone."
The voice was not loud, but it instantly quelled all emotions of ecstasy, anger, and sorrow.
The crowd subconsciously looked up, following the sound, and then they saw a scene that shook them to their cores.
In the sky not far ahead, a figure as massive as a mountain stood silently.
He was precisely the golden-light-radiating giant who had previously appeared at the edge of the meat blanket.
At this moment, his figure seemed to merge with the heaven and earth. It clearly felt like he was extremely far away, yet his face and the patterns on his armor were as clear as if he were right in front of them.
He was slightly bowing his head, his deep eyes, which still flowed with a faint golden radiance, peacefully looking down upon these hundreds of millions of newly reborn souls on the prairie.
Before these confused people, who had just been freed from hell, could ask any questions, Samuel Young's grand voice spread out once more, echoing across the sky over the entire prairie: "Welcome, everyone, to the Heavenly Domain under my control."
Heavenly Domain? Control?
These two words made everyone freeze in surprise.
Samuel Young continued speaking, his voice carrying a comforting power while also granting them the right to choose: "Here, you may choose to forget the past, live carefree, and reside forever in this peace and tranquility, free from pain and disturbance."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the blank yet expectant faces below, offering more possibilities: "Or, if you desire a brand-new beginning, you may choose to reincarnate and be reborn, entering an unknown life journey full of possibilities."
Immediately after, his tone dropped slightly, taking on an unquestionable determination and power belonging to an Emperor: "Or perhaps..."
This brief pause captured everyone's attention, and an indescribable sense of anticipation quietly spread through the crowd.
"...our Human Empire can restore your bodies of flesh and blood, re-anchoring your consciousness and souls and placing them back into the physical universe. When that time comes, you will be able to walk under the starry sky once more as true humans, breathe real air, feel the sunlight and storms, to love, to hate, to create, to protect, and to experience the inviolable dignity and life that humans were always meant to possess. And this also includes..."
Samuel Young's gaze became sharp, as if piercing through the void to look directly at the culprits lurking in the shadows of the galaxy. "Reclaiming the blood debt owed to you, and to all of humanity, from those who inflicted this suffering. Now, the choice is in your hands."
Samuel Young's words, containing endless majesty and the authority of choice, echoed slowly and settled in the depths of every reborn soul like a great bell.
As his voice faded, a brief silence fell over the vast prairie.
Billions of people looked at each other, their eyes filled with complex emotions.
They were not questioning the truthfulness of what this god-like golden giant had said.
On the contrary, standing in this peaceful pure land he called the Heavenly Domain, their souls instinctively sensed that every word he spoke was true and that he held absolute sovereign power over them.
This was an understanding that transcended language and logic, acting directly on the soul level.
What lingered in their minds at this moment was the heavy choice regarding their future path.
Should they stay in this worry-free land to enjoy eternal peace?
Should they wash away their memories and step into a brand-new cycle of reincarnation?
Or...
Bearing these unforgettable memories and hatred, return to the physical universe that had once brought them endless pain?
All the former colonial humans inside the Heavenly Domain at this moment existed in pure soul forms; their material bodies... the meat blanket flesh, still remained on the agonizing surface of Grum IV.
The silence did not last long.
For these souls who had suffered in eternal torment for an unknown number of years, the desire for release had long surpassed everything else.
Soon, the inclinations originating from their soul cores made the decision.
Over two-thirds of the souls chose the first path almost without thinking, which was to remain forever in this Heavenly Domain.
The suffering they had endured was simply too deep and too long. The pain carried in every minute and second by their modified bodies had already equated living with torture.
Their exhausted souls craved only eternal tranquility and nothing else.
They had no lingering attachments to the physical universe, and even thoughts of revenge had become blurred under extreme weariness.
Then, a golden radiance began to flow gently over their soul forms, signaling that they were about to completely merge with this paradise.
Among the remaining one-third of the souls, the vast majority leaned toward the second choice—reincarnation.
They were equally eager to escape the shadows of the past, but they had not completely despaired of life itself.
They were willing to give up all their memories, whether painful or precious, and enter a new, unknown life as a pure blank slate.
They believed that without the burden of those dark memories, a new life might bloom with a different brilliance.
Subsequently, their souls began to emit a soft white light, their forms gradually becoming hazy, seemingly ready to step onto the bridge leading to a new life.
Finally, only a tiny fraction of souls remained. Their numbers were insignificant compared to the whole, but the light of their souls was the most blazing and the most resolute.
They chose the third and most difficult path: retaining all their consciousness and memories, allowing their souls to return to the physical universe and anchor within the brand-new bodies the Empire promised to prepare for them.
Their reasoning was pure and absolute.
They wanted to see it with their own eyes!
To witness how the Qu civilization, which had inflicted such desecration, would burn, collapse, and turn into cosmic dust under the fury of the Human Empire!
The flames of hatred had not been extinguished by pain; instead, after being freed, they burned even more fiercely, becoming the core pillar supporting them in making this choice.
Their souls remained condensed and undissipated, emitting a sharp light like an unsheathed sword, quietly awaiting the command to return.
Standing atop the clouds, Samuel Young took in all the choices of these souls.
...
...
A trace of understanding and deep compassion was revealed in his grand gaze.
He fully understood and respected the decision made by every soul based on their own suffering.
For those who desired peace, he granted eternal sanctuary;
For those who yearned for a new life, he opened the doors of reincarnation;
And for the warriors who chose to bear the hatred and memories, determined to return to the battlefield, he responded with silent approval and a promise.
"As you wish."
Following the fluctuation of his thoughts, the scenery within the Heavenly Domain began to shift, and the different souls were guided to their respective destined resting places according to their choices.
Meanwhile, in the physical universe, on the desolate surface of the planet Grum IV.
The dazzling golden light that had enveloped the entire globe rapidly dissipated and retracted like an ebbing tide, eventually fading into nothingness and revealing the tragic world illuminated by that dim star once again.
The blazing golden brilliance in Samuel Young's eyes also gradually faded, returning to its usual profundity. However, the massive, faintly pulsing meat blanket that had originally covered the earth before him had undergone an earth-shattering change.
The eyes that were originally densely packed on the meat blanket, which had contained various painful emotions, were now mostly closed in a bizarre manner.
Immediately after, a golden flame representing purity quietly emerged from the inside out, spreading rapidly like living, flowing fire.
This flame was not scorching, nor did it ignite any material. It simply, quietly, and thoroughly purified and decomposed the flesh-and-blood tissue that had borne countless agonies, turning it into specks of dazzling golden light particles that rose and dissipated into the air, as if they had never existed.
These were the material remains belonging to those who chose to stay in heaven or reincarnate, receiving their final, clean release at this moment.
As for the originally boundless meat blanket, only a very few scattered and isolated lumps of flesh tissue remained now.
They still maintained a living physiological state, with faint pulsations, but they were like empty shells that had lost all their souls, completely unresponsive to any external stimuli—
Whether it was light, sound, or the heavy footsteps of the Primarchs, they showed no reaction, thoroughly sinking into the deepest, unawakenable vegetative state.
It was only natural. The inner souls of these remaining colonial tissues had long since settled peacefully in the Heavenly Domain. This little bit of flesh left in the physical universe was nothing more than living meat that had lost its master and was still carrying out basic metabolism, no different from a rock that could breathe on its own...
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