Chapter 195: A Big Head
Blackstone was continually transported to the Hall of the Throne, with even more blackstone placed on the ground outside, resembling a colossal blackstone spire. As these blackstones grew, the atmosphere of the entire Hall became more oppressive, a strong aura of Chaos permeating the air, as if some power were subtly writhing within.
Guilliman stared. "..."
"Even if there is a problem, it's fine. I'm a doctor. I'll personally perform the surgery, guaranteed!" Francis smirked, thinking he must get some of the Emperor's blood then.
"By the way, is Malcador not well yet? Why are you still here presiding over state affairs?"
Guilliman scratched his head, feeling a bit annoyed. "Ai~ It's so much effort to let them choose a few High Lords! As for Malcador, he is still trying to communicate with Father and handling state affairs at the same time."
Speaking of which, he actually missed Ultramar quite a bit. He felt like he hadn't seen his mother, Ms. Euten, in a long time, and he truly missed her. After all, she was no longer young; perhaps a way to extend her life needed to be found.
However, as he considered those mechanical modifications, he still hoped she would remain in human form. Then he suddenly asked, "Francis, do you have a way to extend human life without mechanical means?"
"Yes, and it's still undergoing human trials. Why-" Before Francis could finish speaking, the ground began to shake violently.
The countless blackstones were like invisible chains, tightening the connection between the Emperor and this world. His eyes were tightly shut, his god-like face bearing an indescribable weariness and pain. Countless souls writhed within him, yet he could not escape the shackles of this responsibility.
Suddenly—
Rumble!
A deeper tremor echoed throughout the Hall of the Throne, like thunder from the abyss. The Emperor's body trembled slightly. At this moment, an ancient and powerful force awakened from the depths of the Emperor's soul, gradually breaking through its sealed slumber, struggling to recall consciousness.
In an instant, the Emperor's eyes snapped open, and a golden radiance, like the sun, illuminated the entire Hall of the Throne, instantly dispelling all gloom.
"I am back!" he proclaimed. The voice, amplified by psychic power, spread from Terra throughout the galaxy.
The Astronomican of the Imperium once again unleashed a massive light, illuminating the entire galaxy. All subjects who believed in the Emperor saw him clearly, and even some regions that Chaos had corrupted were suddenly purified.
The summoned daemons all shrieked in immense terror. "No!"
On Terra, everyone prostrated themselves on the ground, their eyes gleaming with fanaticism, constantly roaring wildly.
"It's the Emperor! The Emperor is back!" voices cried out.
"The Emperor has come to lead us!" others shouted.
Even Malcador, who was immersed in the library, instantly scrambled out from his pile of books, tears streaming down his face as he rushed out. Along the way, everyone who saw this scene was utterly shocked.
The Custodes in the Hall of the Throne all knelt on the ground. Every day the Emperor slept was torment for them. In their eyes, it was all their fault that this had happened.
Only Francis and Guilliman stood there, feeling somewhat awkward, so Francis whispered, "Guilliman, why don't you go hug the old man? It might make it seem like we really missed him?"
"I'm not going! I'm all grown up! You go if you want, I'm definitely not going!" Guilliman mumbled, his gaze towards the Emperor changing slightly.
Didn't the Imperial Truth say there were no gods or ghosts? Looking at the spectacle of the Emperor's revival, he couldn't help but feel it was incredibly exaggerated.
It was at this moment that Malcador directly flew over, landing beside the Emperor, and said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "This is great! You've finally woken up!"
The Emperor patted his shoulder and continued, "You've worked hard!"
"I... merely... experienced a battle. The blackstones can strengthen my presence in the real world," the Emperor explained.
As he spoke, he looked at Francis and nodded, his eyes much softer. Francis could see the immense weariness on his face, truly feeling that the Emperor had endured a lot.
"Wait a moment, I have something for you," Francis said.
With that, Francis squatted down, picked up some useless metal scraps, and then quickly cobbled together a U-shaped device, handing it to the Emperor.
Everyone else looked on with puzzled expressions.
"The moment you frown, I know it's because you've been sitting too long. With my neck and shoulder massager, I guarantee you'll instantly relax and relieve stress," Francis explained cheerfully.
Malcador, the Custodes, and Guilliman. "..."
The Emperor could feel the loss of his humanity, but he could still feel a surge of anger constantly hitting the top of his head. His fist tightened and loosened, finally letting out a sigh.
When he looked up again towards the depths of the Hall of the Throne, the Tech-Priests were busy operating various complex instruments, attempting to establish a human Webway entrance under the Emperor's command.
As he gently raised one hand, the air in the Hall seemed to solidify, and time seemed to fall into an indescribable silence. The Tech-Priests didn't feel at all that their flow of time had suddenly become completely different from the real world.
In Francis's eyes, time in their space began to accelerate rapidly, even so fast that his vision occasionally blurred. The priests' hands moved swiftly, the gap between command and reaction almost disappearing. Their every action was far faster than normal, and machinery and instruments operated with unprecedented efficiency.
Electronic currents and electromagnetic waves flickered in the air, and deafening sounds echoed throughout the Hall, yet all of this seemed so eerily quiet. The Tech-Priests' eyes were as focused as an abyss; they were no longer aware of their own existence; their bodies and souls seemed assimilated entirely into the machinery and technology of this space.
Until a few breaths later, the human Webway entrance was completely constructed.
Looking inside, the Tech-Priests had visibly aged, and even though their bodies were modified, one could still smell the metal's decay. The Tech-Priests stopped their movements, silently gazing at the results before them. Though their bodies still hadn't stopped, they could no longer fully comprehend everything that had happened; the Emperor's power had entirely dominated their consciousness and actions.
It wasn't until the Emperor's hand slowly lowered that the surrounding space returned to normal operation. The air in the Hall flowed again, and time resumed its original rhythm, as if the previous acceleration and oppression had been nothing more than an illusion.
The Webway entrance had been completed.
Instantly, the entire Hall of the Throne was terrifyingly silent, countless heavy breaths mixed with the sound of mechanical friction. The Tech-Priests stood at their respective workstations, their eyes glowing, nervous oil seeping from their foreheads, but at this moment their mechanical hearts no longer accelerated from anxiety, but from an uncontrollable excitement and exhilaration.
They no longer knew how long they had endured, how many failures, setbacks, and complex problems they had encountered. But they persevered. They finally completed this project.
They looked at the portal before them, a massive luminous gate shimmering with ancient runes, surrounded by complex mechanical devices and runic arrays, with traces of energy flow interwoven into a magnificent tapestry.
"It's done!" one exclaimed.
"It's finally done!" another cried.
"I did it! Hahaha!" yet another celebrated.
Grabius, one of the Tech-Priests responsible for energy input, shouted excitedly. His voice echoed through the vast space of the Hall, carrying an uncontrollable joy.
With his shout, the other Tech-Priests roared in unison.
"Mother, did you see? I'm not a coward!" one called out.
"It's done! It's done! My technology surpasses that of the Sage! Haha!" another boasted.
"Awesome!" voices rang out.
"The Emperor's will has finally been realized!" Malcador murmured, his eyes shining with an almost incredibly strong light.
Even the still-silent Custodes had joy in their eyes.
Conversely, Francis and Guilliman wanted to be happy, but they couldn't force themselves to feel joyful. Or rather, they weren't as happy as they thought they would be, standing out somewhat from the others.
However, the Emperor's expression gradually darkened, and he said nothing.
The group moved toward the portal. They looked at the Emperor in confusion, then walked towards the Webway entrance with trepidation.
Hiss!
After a flash of white light, Malcador's face gradually turned pale, his eyes trembling slightly. "How can this be? This is impossible?"
The appearance of the Webway entrance was utterly different from what they had imagined.
Francis and Guilliman followed closely behind, and immediately, they were stunned. They couldn't imagine that the things before them, which looked like temporary structures propped up on the original surface, woven together with materials that were almost correct but still quite problematic, were the Webway they had long awaited.
Even a discerning eye could tell this was achieved with the crudest, clumsiest technology available. Human technology at this moment appeared incredibly ugly, like a malignant growth attached to a steel cable. And it was constantly shedding, though psychic energy quickly repaired the damage, it was falling apart far too much.
Visible decay was everywhere, and behind the decay was a terrifying abyss beyond words, as if once fallen into, one could never return.
In fact, it hadn't even reached a usable standard.
They stepped back through the gate. When they emerged from the Webway again, the Emperor's face also looked much worse.
"We still need more time! The High Lords must be fully assembled immediately! My time is short. I will return to the Warp," the Emperor declared.
No sooner had he spoken than the Emperor fell into slumber again.
Judging by the intensity of the Tech-Priests' heated discussions, it would take at least eight thousand years to repair this shoddy Webway.
Francis scratched his head and said, "I told you! It's faster to just steal it! He can't fix this thing, not even the Eldar can fix it. Who in this day and age..."
As he spoke, Francis seemed to pause, mumbling continuously. "I think I can fix it! Let me Waaaaaaaaag and try?!"
The moment he finished speaking, everyone's eyes locked onto him intensely, as if they could devour him.
Even the Emperor, fighting in the Warp, took a punch from Khorne and transmitted a message: "Is that true?!"
...
In the Warp, en route to the Eye of Terror...
Lorgar led several legions towards the Eye of Terror, but the path forward was not as calm and smooth as they had anticipated.
"Brothers, their ships are ugly! Let's steal them!" an Ork voice called.
"Waaaaaagh!" the horde roared.
The colossal roar of the Ork Boyz echoed through this space. Dozens of Orks, as if bursting from the depths of the void, charged towards their warships with savage howls and an aura of death, crashing into them madly.
"Ork Boyz?" Lorgar uttered the words coldly, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes, but he did not issue a retreat order. Instead, he gave calmer instructions. "Prepare to engage. Clear them out quickly."
The warriors of the Black Legion immediately stood ready to meet the impending impact. The ship's external shields were already deployed, defensive systems were prepared, and the prow's gun barrels began to rotate, flashing red.
Then...rumble~
A massive greenskin warship collided with Lorgar's ship's outer hull. The violent impact shook the entire vessel, sending tremors through it.
Boarding commenced.
"Brothers, they look so strange! Waaaaaagh!" Orks shouted.
"Waaaaagh!" others bellowed.
The Ork Boyz, armed with spiked clubs, charged forward. At the same time, the warriors of the Butcherhorde let out earth-shattering roars, swiftly opening the hatches, brandishing giant axes and chainswords, and rushing out onto the ship's exterior.
The Noise Marines, meanwhile, unleashed waves of immense, cacophonous noise inside the ship.
Unfortunately, they encountered Ork Boyz.
Hearing the sound waves only made the Ork Boyz more excited, and they charged the Noise Marines with a roar.
"Let me try! This is awesome!" one shouted.
"Waaaaaagh!" the others joined.
The Noise Marines. "..."
An Ork Big Mek, wielding a massive power klaw, directly smashed the opponent's head flat, then picked up the opponent's guitar weapon and began to play.
"Your daddy has a big belly ah~~."
"Congratulations, Congratulations," The Ork Boyz sang with genuine emotion, unleashing waves of deafening sound waves inside the ship. The distorted sound waves instantly swept through the entire vessel, nearly tearing the eardrums of the Noise Marines, plunging them into extreme pain and confusion.
"Stop singing! It's terrible!" one Marine screamed.
"My ears! My ears!" another cried.
"I can't hear! I can't hear anymore!" yet another wailed.
At this moment, the Ork Boyz actually resembled Noise Marines more than they did.
And this was just the beginning. Clashes of flesh and steel, piercing roars, and explosions filled the entire ship.
They barely managed to weather one wave before another arrived.
Lorgar observed from the command deck, standing in the central control room. The Warp was full of green tides and Chaos Spawn. The closer they got to the Eye of Terror, the more greenskins and Chaos Spawn there were.
"What has transpired in my absence? I remember the Eye of Terror wasn't like this before?" Lorgar turned to Abaddon and the others, his eyes flashing with doubt.
Abaddon was silent for a moment, then said very seriously, "Is it possible that these are all Cadia's advance forces?"
Lorgar. "..."
The two looked at each other for a while, Abaddon still maintaining that posture seriously.
"I'm really not joking with you. Cadia's defenders are Lord Francis..." Abaddon explained.
Lorgar fell silent and closed his eyes, involuntarily. "..."
He immediately felt a headache coming on. Initially, nothing made sense. But now, everything has become logical.
Lorgar sighed deeply. "Sighh~ Let's take a detour. We will go around from the side..."
[End of Chapter]