Grand Master Pedron of the Grey Knights used his psychic power to project the inscription of the Terminus Decree into the air.
It was a command inscription personally created by the Emperor, the Master of Mankind, bearing that being's unique seal. It could not be forged.
Any senior Imperial warrior who beheld the Terminus Decree could feel its sanctity and the absolute authority within it.
After producing the Terminus Decree, Pedron could not help straightening his back.
It was as if the Master of Mankind had bestowed some kind of power upon him.
The eight Paladins behind him felt the same.
This was supreme authority, absolute and unrestricted. The Grey Knights had been permitted to achieve their end by any means necessary.
All Imperial forces were meant to cooperate, not defy the will of the Master of Mankind.
"This... is the Terminus Decree, the Emperor's will, and the mission of the Grey Knights."
Pedron stared at the Custodes commander, Macrinus, and the others, his gaze solemn and severe.
He slowly pushed the projected contents of the Terminus Decree toward them, pressing them with its weight.
"You Custodes are the Emperor's loyal guards, His servants. Are you going to defy the Master of Mankind Himself?!"
The appearance of the Terminus Decree made Macrinus and the others widen their eyes, shaken by the command the Emperor had left behind.
They had not expected the Master of Mankind to entrust the Grey Knights with such an important duty, an honor no other Imperial force had ever received.
Not even the Custodes.
As the projection of the Decree drifted closer, it was as if the Emperor's will itself were looking down upon the Custodes commander and his elite patrol.
Their earlier aggression vanished in an instant.
These Custodes did not dare show disrespect before the Emperor's will. That would have been an act of sacrilege.
"This truly is the Emperor's will. There is no mistake..."
Macrinus gazed at the inscribed command projected by Pedron, Grand Master of the Fifth Brotherhood, and drew in a deep breath.
Every instinct, every judgment honed by experience, pointed him to the same conclusion: the Terminus Decree was real.
The Custodes commander lowered his exquisitely wrought golden weapon, the Castellan Axe, then slowly bowed in salute. The other Custodes followed suit.
The Custodes were offering solemn respect to the Terminus Decree, and to the Emperor represented by it.
They did not dare show the slightest irreverence.
To an outsider, it looked as if they were bowing to Pedron and the Grey Knights themselves.
The presence of the golden-armored warriors had been completely crushed beneath that of the silver-armored daemon hunters.
It was something that had never happened before.
"Praise the Emperor.
"We should all follow His will. That is the only path."
Pedron watched the Custodian who had originally stood slightly taller than him bow his head and seem shorter than before. All his worry over the failed teleportation vanished completely.
He felt refreshed from head to toe.
He captured the scene from the most flattering angle possible, then sent the image back to the Chambers of Purity through sorcery.
So that all the Grey Knights could witness the good news.
At last, Pedron understood what the Emperor had left behind for the Grey Knights.
His will.
A will that no one in the Imperium dared defy.
This was truly the supreme will of the Master of Mankind, an Imperial sanction beyond obstruction.
Even the Custodes did not dare oppose the Emperor's will.
"Custodes, time is short.
"Please notify your commander at once. End the blockade against the Grey Knights immediately, and let us reach the Throne Hall."
Now that he felt sure of himself, Pedron's tone grew even sterner.
"We are going to reinforce the Golden Throne with the bones of the Sigillite, Malcador.
"This is something the Emperor foresaw long ago. It is His will.
"That being, who was loyal to the Emperor unto the very end, will burn away the last ashes of his sacred remains and, just as he did ten thousand years ago, help the Emperor hold the Throne!"
The Grand Master of the Fifth Brotherhood laid out the Grey Knights' current plan, especially the method by which they intended to preserve the Throne.
Ten thousand years ago, it was Malcador's sacrifice that had preserved the Throne for the Emperor, and preserved the Imperium.
Now that danger had come again, the sacred bones he left behind would perform that same duty once more.
Nothing could be more loyal than that.
Pedron believed there was no possible reason for the Custodes to refuse, nor could they bear the consequences of the Golden Throne collapsing and the Emperor's will being extinguished.
In short, the Custodes had to lift the lockdown immediately and open the doors to the Throne Room so the Grey Knights could save the Imperium from the abyss.
No one had the right to stand in their way.
Under Pedron's expectant gaze, the Custodes commander Macrinus slowly lifted his head.
"My apologies. His Majesty the Savior has already ordered the Palace sealed."
He shook his head, utterly firm.
"Without orders from that being, no one outside the core military sequence is permitted to enter!"
Not long ago, after the Golden Throne underwent its catastrophic upheaval, the Savior ordered the Palace locked down, then personally entered the Throne Room to deal with the crisis.
No word had come out since.
Macrinus looked at the Grey Knights Grand Master.
"We will relay your request to His Majesty exactly as given. But until then, you are to disarm and submit to Custodes supervision.
"You are not to go anywhere!"
This Custodes commander came from the Thunder Guard, among the most loyal warriors under the Savior.
His earlier bow to the Terminus Decree had merely been out of courtesy and respect toward the Emperor.
As he spoke, the Custodes behind him raised their weapons once more, keeping the Grey Knights under watch.
Clearly, the other elite Custodians agreed with their commander.
???
Pedron froze for a moment when he heard that, and his face immediately fell.
What Savior, what Emperor of the Imperium. Was this even still the Imperium?
Had the Emperor's will already stopped carrying weight within Imperial territory?
More importantly, these were the Emperor's Custodes, His attendants. Yet even they would not obey the Master of Mankind's will and command?!
"Custodes, perhaps you have misunderstood. This is the Emperor's Decree," Pedron said, thinking they had failed to grasp his point, and emphasized it again.
"I already said it. Without permission from His Majesty the Savior, no non-core military force may enter the Palace."
Macrinus's tone did not change in the slightest. There was no room for compromise.
They were required to carry out the Savior's orders first, until that being issued new instructions.
Hummm...
"Emperor..."
Emotion surging inside him, arcs of psychic lightning began crackling over Pedron's body.
He had understood now what the Savior's order really meant.
Anyone who had not fully offered loyalty to the Savior was forbidden from entering the Palace.
For example, the Grey Knights.
They, the Emperor's own knights, did not even have the qualification to enter the Palace unless they knelt and pledged loyalty to the Savior.
This was the Emperor's own sanctum. What exactly was the Savior trying to do? Such arrogance. Such deception.
"The Grey Knights are not part of the core military sequence. You should return to Titan and await further word," Macrinus said, igniting his power weapon once more and offering what he clearly considered sound advice.
At that moment, several Thunderhawk gunships belonging to the Redemption Chapter flew overhead toward another core nexus without being stopped in the slightest.
Pedron and the Grey Knights watched that happen, and instantly felt a wave of mockery and humiliation.
A Redemption Chapter, branded rebellious in the past, could swagger straight into the Palace.
But the Grey Knights could not.
So in the eyes of the Savior, these Grey Knights, the Emperor's unbreakable shield and daemon hunters, were worth less than a Redemption Chapter?
So little, in fact, that the Custodes would stop them on the spot and demand they surrender their weapons?
The Grand Master of the Fifth Brotherhood felt a fury he could barely contain, and beneath that fury lay utter incomprehension.
The Grey Knights were deeply favored by the Emperor. They had been entrusted with the highest of missions.
They had rushed here without hesitation, offering everything in obedience to the Terminus Decree to save the Imperium and the Throne.
And yet, even here in the Palace, they still had to wait on the Savior's pleasure?
Did the Grey Knights have to kneel and beg for the Savior's charity?
Impossible.
They would not kneel.
As the gift the Emperor had bestowed upon mankind, the Grey Knights had to remain pure, bowing to no being and submitting to none.
They would stand in purity of will and fulfill that final mission.
Pedron stared at the Custodes commander before him and forced down his rage.
He pointed at the projected image of the Terminus Decree and asked in return, "This. This sacred command. Does it allow the Grey Knights to enter the Palace or not?"
Macrinus shook his head.
"My apologies. That requires His Majesty's permission."
Bzzzzt...
Another projection formed in the air, this time a prophetic psychic vision -
The Golden Throne trembling on the verge of collapse, ready to fall. Then the bones of Malcador appeared, radiating sacred light.
As if they were driving back the darkness.
Pedron turned and pointed at the prophetic image.
"This, then. The coming darkness, the hope that can drive it back, the sacred remains. Even this is not enough to let us enter the Palace?"
"We trust in the loyalty of the Grey Knights, but you must become part of the core military sequence before you meet the criteria for entry," Macrinus replied.
In other words, the Grey Knights needed the Savior's recognition before they could move freely within the Palace.
Crackle...
The psychic projections in the air swelled and merged, the Terminus Decree and the prophetic vision combining into a new vision.
The Golden Throne shook violently under the pressure of the Warp.
The Grey Knights used Malcador's sacred remains to erect a barrier blazing with silver-white light, blocking the impact from the Warp.
After that, the Master of Mankind's unbreakable shield, the daemon hunters, used ritual arrays to banish the chaotic soul-fragment from the Warp, preserving the Throne, restoring everything, and saving the Imperium.
This might have been the only way to save humanity from disaster.
Bathed in psychic light, Pedron said in a ringing voice, "Does all of this allow the Grey Knights to enter the Palace?!"
Macrinus's expression finally changed.
He quickly said something to the Custodian beside him, then turned back toward the Grey Knights Grand Master.
"Brother, we have activated the highest level of communication authority. This vision will be reported to His Majesty the Savior with all possible speed!"
When Pedron heard that, his whole body nearly went numb.
He had just laid bare the Terminus Decree and the horrifying future in full, and even now he still had to wait for the Savior's ruling.
Was the Emperor's command, His will, and the survival of the Imperium all less important than the Savior's order?
"Between the great Emperor and the Savior, who is the true master of mankind? And whose attendants are the Custodes?"
The Grey Knights Grand Master stared at the Custodes before him, his body trembling as he demanded an answer.
It was a simple question.
Who ranked higher, the Emperor or the Savior?
Whom should mankind and the Imperium obey?
Macrinus and the other Custodes fell silent before that question.
They could not answer it directly.
But silence was an answer in itself, and its meaning was obvious.
The Emperor had slept for far too long and no longer issued commands. He had already entrusted full command authority over the Custodes to the Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium.
Whether the Grey Knights and others accepted it or not, the Savior was now the Imperium's sole ruler in practice.
More importantly, the Savior had proven his correctness again and again through countless actions.
Senior attendants of the Throne had once personally witnessed an argument between the Savior and the Emperor. That dispute ended with the Emperor acknowledging His own error.
The Master of Mankind had judged the Savior's view to be the correct one, and had accepted it without condition.
Every sign pointed to the same conclusion.
The Savior was the most trustworthy being in the Imperium.
Even the Emperor Himself had never denied that.
That was why the Custodes trusted the Savior more than the Grey Knights who had suddenly appeared, and more than the Terminus Decree that had lain dormant for ten thousand years.
If even the Emperor Himself had chosen to trust the Savior, then naturally the Savior's command stood as the highest authority.
And besides, the Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium, was already inside the Throne Room dealing with the crisis. If the Custodes allowed the Grey Knights to interfere without his permission and disrupted a rescue operation already in progress...
...the consequences might be even worse.
"Emperor... what madness this is!"
Staring at the silent Custodes, Pedron felt a thread of despair rise in his heart.
He realized something.
The Emperor's will no longer carried weight. Whether it was the Grey Knights or anyone else, they all had to obey the Savior if they wanted the authority to carry out major operations within the Imperium.
Did that mean the Grey Knights could only kneel, submit, and place the fate of mankind into the Savior's hands?
If the Emperor truly had granted the Savior that level of authority, then the Grey Knights were willing to accept his command.
But what if the Savior made the wrong judgment and caused the Terminus Decree left by the Emperor to go unfulfilled?
Then everything would plunge into a bottomless abyss.
Pedron drew a deep breath and slowly lifted his head, his eyes hardening with resolve.
He had made his decision.
Compared to the Savior, this Grand Master was more willing to trust the prophecy the Emperor had left behind.
To trust the Terminus Decree.
At the darkest and most difficult hour, they had to carry out that final mission.
That was the meaning of the Grey Knights' existence.
"This is not beyond saving," Pedron said.
He had already entered the Palace through sorcerous teleportation and had sensed the blockade boundary created by the Savior's Warp machinery.
If they could only get across this nexus, they could project and reestablish a teleport beacon, allowing the main Grey Knights strike force to launch a surprise assault directly into the Throne Hall.
Vmmmm -
Pedron gathered the psychic power of the eight Paladins behind him, releasing a crushing pressure that shattered the rubble at his feet.
He moved.
The Grey Knights Grand Master ignited his Nemesis force halberd, leapt high into the air, and with a single strike blasted Macrinus and the nearby Custodes flying.
The golden-armored warriors slammed into the ruined stone walls beside them, and the whole structure came crashing down.
The Custodes were certainly powerful.
But in the end, they relied on the strength of the flesh. They could not resist a senior Grey Knight empowered by such potent Warp force!
Dust filled the air.
Pedron's figure stood out with absolute clarity, impossible to miss, while his eyes shone with a brilliant ash-gray radiance.
He looked at the golden-armored warriors who obeyed the Savior and said coldly, "Custodes, your physical strength alone cannot stop me!"
Yet in the very next instant, Pedron felt something change in his psychic power. The force that had been flowing smoothly through him suddenly became sluggish and obscure.
At some unknown moment, the special suppression machinery in this nexus zone had already entered high-speed operation and begun interfering with his psychic abilities.
More importantly, new figures had emerged from within the ruined walls on either side. Those small silhouettes felt like black holes in the psychic realm.
Sisters of Silence!
There were dozens of senior Sisters of Silence, each equipped with blackstone machinery, making them seem even more formidable than before.
These anti-psychic beings were exceedingly rare and were perfect counters to the Grey Knights' power.
Pedron stared in disbelief.
Since when had the Custodes fielded so many senior Sisters of Silence?!
But before he could recover, the Castellan Axe of the Custodes commander Macrinus had already smashed through the rubble in an explosion of flying stone.
Looking at the Custodes and Sisters of Silence advancing on him, the Grey Knights Grand Master felt his lips trembling and his body going stiff.
Perhaps he had finally realized one thing -
This was a top-tier fight.
(End of Chapter)
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