**You have successfully activated the fifth-stage certification mission. Mission requirement: Obtain dominion over a universe.**
**Upon fulfilling the mission requirements, the system will automatically verify and unlock the fifth-stage knowledge database.**
Gazing at the prompts on the system interface,
Guilliman frowned slightly.
Completely obtaining dominion over a universe. This mission requirement is not low.
Don't let the Imperium's constant warfare and apparent power deceive you.
If you analyze it carefully, you can see the problems within. The Imperium merely scratches the surface of each universe, without deep development or achieving any absolute advantage.
Mist Universe 01 and DC Universe 02 have only occupied a small portion of their respective universes.
It's akin to the Imperium's regular army conquering a small frontier village belonging to someone else.
It hasn't even reached the point where two forces are truly at war. The only one officially declared war on is the Reincarnation Game Universe.
Guilliman also used a trick. The opponent's state was clearly offline.
Currently, only some players and insignificant characters are contending with the Imperium.
Speaking of players, Guilliman couldn't help but admire the mastermind behind this harvesting method.
Such methods are truly ingenious, thoroughly dissecting the greed, selfishness, arrogance, and many other emotions of real-world beings, and skillfully putting them to use.
The player community has low requirements, they find ways to solve problems themselves, their souls and flesh can be harvested, and they even actively take up arms to defend their status as farmed livestock.
Occasionally, you might even hear one or two idiots, standing from the perspective of the beneficiaries, shouting grand declarations like, "No regrets entering reincarnation in this life, I'll still be a player in the next!"
Guilliman was utterly shocked when he saw the reports from the front lines. They play too well.
Playing with human hearts, making it profound yet simple, itching to the bone.
Guilliman paced back and forth in his private laboratory. The mission to conquer a universe is a huge test for the Imperium, for him, and even for everyone. The scale of a universe is at least 95 billion light-years. This is just the observable distance.
When the spacetime structure is sufficiently vast, it will bend, creating steepness, and inevitably collapse.
When a person stands by the sea and looks out, the observable horizon is limited.
From a person's eyes to where the sea meets the sky, that's the observable distance. This is because the Earth is curved, and light travels in a straight line. The same is true in the universe.
An overly vast three-dimensional spacetime structure bends at angles unimaginable to ordinary people.
For this reason, there is a maximum observable distance, which does not mean the universe is only that large!
The Imperium hasn't even conquered the Local Group yet. To conquer the universe will be an unimaginably long period of time.
"Isn't this mission too difficult?! auxiliary AI." Guilliman asked, "For a civilization to rule a universe, even I wouldn't dare to harbor such ambition."
**Where there's a will, there's a way, host, you can do it!**
"Uh, do you know what it means to rule a universe?!" Guilliman said, "A spacetime span of tens of billions of light-years, even a god would feel small and powerless."
**Keep going, host. The stronger a civilization, the wider its radiation range and the stronger its control over the universe itself. A small and refined model is not realistic for a civilization.**
"Can't I change the mission?" Guilliman asked somewhat helplessly.
**All verification missions are the best choices made based on human civilization itself. If you cannot rule a universe, then not opening the fifth-stage database is actually a good thing for humanity. Without sufficient spacetime resources, manpower, and material resources, rashly entering the ranks of high-level civilizations would instead be a disaster.**
**Allowing humanity to possess planet-destroying weapons in the industrial age would only lead to the destruction of civilization, and even the destruction of their home, with no chance of starting over.**
**Please complete the trial mission, ensuring that human civilization has sufficient capacity to accept those technologies.**
Guilliman was left speechless by the auxiliary AI.
He closed the system interface and sighed melancholically.
Around him, various mechanical devices hummed. The machinery operated with a rhythm incomprehensible to mortals. The Thinkers trembled as they processed vast amounts of data.
Various suspended holographic models floated in the laboratory air.
Papers and data chips were stacked on several smooth tables.
Printed schematics were affixed to metal plates. The plan to resurrect ancient heroes was still steadily progressing.
If it were the resurrection of a single hero, it wouldn't be difficult.
But his plan was to break the boundary between life and death, allowing those heroes to resurrect automatically.
Just like a game's resurrection mechanism. This approach completely disrupted the universe's cycle of life and death. The difficulty was extremely exaggerated and terrifying.
It was a difficulty unimaginable to mortals.
Guilliman walked towards the door, taking off his work clothes used for high-risk environments and putting on a casual, fitted tunic. The mission to conquer the universe was somewhat difficult; he needed to sort out his thoughts and see how he could accelerate this process. The Imperium has currently only explored and waged conquest wars on the Small and Canis Major Dwarf Galaxys and the Andromeda Galaxy.
And these are merely a part of the Local Group. There are a hundred such galaxy groups or clusters in the Virgo Supercluster. The Local Group is merely an edge one, its center 60 million light-years from Terra.
Aside from the Votann League encountered in Andromeda, there are also enemies in other nebulae. There are also signs of the damned tyranids active in those nebulae.
Exploration teams and conquest fleets have already made contact with the tyranid tendrils, and a series of small-scale conflicts have erupted.
Guilliman had reason to believe that a vast number of tyranids drifted in the void, and that the future conflict between humanity and the tyranids would undoubtedly unfold on an unimaginable scale.
"I need to talk to Cawl; I need to find some ways to accelerate the Imperium's conquest speed," Guilliman said as he walked out of his laboratory. "We need to learn their methods from other universes, and also accelerate the learning of various kinds of knowledge. The knowledge from the Black Library must be acquired as soon as possible, and we need to find a way to rescue the eldar gods."
A series of vexing matters surged into Guilliman's mind. The difficulties before him were increasing.
Driving the development of a civilization is by no means an easy task.
Guilliman felt that he was very likely to face the danger of overwork.
Stepping out of the top-secret laboratory, Sicarius and the other personal guards and Custodians were standing guard outside. They showed absolute respect as Guilliman emerged.
Guilliman smiled at them.
"Notify the Chancellor's office to prepare to brief me on the current state of the Imperium. Also, one more thing, have Cawl come to see me."
Guilliman issued commands to his attendants as he walked.
Soon, several of them broke away from the group to relay Guilliman's orders. The entire bureaucracy quickly sprang into action.
*******
Universe 02.
Lucifer sat behind the bar in his pub, wiping a glass. There weren't many people in the bar. The only thing he could do was wipe glasses.
For an individual possessing supernatural powers, he was the one who saw through truth and future most clearly. The Imperium showed final mercy to the gods and daemons born from human myths, allowing them to become ordinary Imperial citizens after surrendering.
As for the mythical figures of other races, there was no such mercy.
Reports of deicide appeared every few days.
Both new and old gods became sacrifices under the Imperium's butcher's knife.
Aside from the unseen Emperor, the Imperium no longer permitted any other faiths.
If anyone stubbornly insisted on believing in those deities, the Imperium's methods were always simple and brutal.
In addition to the practices of previous rulers, the Imperium would also hunt down any individual who dared to entice humans to offer faith to them.
Before those heretics were sentenced to death, they often witnessed how the gods they worshipped were killed.
Gods in this era became synonymous with sin and wasted resources. They were objects that had to be overthrown.
Every world had its own Pantheon.
Wherever civilization arose, a Pantheon would also be born. The Imperium regarded gods as parasites in the development of civilization.
Just as soil brought home for planting flowers always contains insect eggs.
Lucifer was powerless against such slander.
Simply surviving was already an all-consuming effort.
When the Imperium committed deicide, there was never any hesitation. Those who dared to question the Imperium were either dead or had long since had tall grass growing on their graves.
Not long ago, someone told him that Darkseid was dead. The strongest of the New Gods, like other Father-Gods who resisted the Imperium, had his head cut off.
Even his temple and race were destroyed. The Imperium launched an extermination strike against Darkseid's home.
Anyone who went there found only ruins and charred corpses.
Footsteps sounded, and a man walked into the bar.
He wore a trench coat and sat down opposite Lucifer.
"A drink, old friend."
The newcomer's voice carried a hint of cynical flippancy.
It sounded like a being filled with disdain for all worldly matters.
Lucifer looked up, following the sound.
He saw that bastard Constantine, the Imperium's lackey. The man was, as always, wearing a full-length trench coat.
His hair was as messy as a bird's nest.
Even after being chosen as the emissary for communication between the two universes,
Constantine hadn't changed his personality.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he walked from the doorway to the long bar counter.
He tapped the counter a few times with his hand.
An interface was summoned with his movement, emitting a faint glow in the air.
Constantine didn't look at the information on the interface; instead, he watched Lucifer, who had lowered his head again to wipe a wine glass.
Among the many gods and daemons who had surrendered to the Imperium, Lucifer was one of the few he could converse with relatively well.
Mainly, it was probably because Lucifer ran a bar,
and he, being a drunkard, had many commonalities with him.
"Aren't you even willing to put down your glass to welcome me?" Constantine said mockingly, "Great Lord Lucifer."
"If I had to salute and greet everyone, my bar wouldn't need to operate; I'd spend all my time just greeting them," Lucifer said, placing a glass in front of Constantine and pouring him a drink. The golden liquid emitted a faint halo under the dim light.
Wine brewed by a fallen angel who once ruled Hell with other Satans.
While impressive in origin, it also carried a hint of destiny's irony.
Just like the dynasties that had perished in human history,
those who were once high above never imagined they would fall into the dust, becoming despised commoners to be ridiculed.
Lucifer and other gods and daemons never thought that one day they would surrender to humans,
living subserviently under the rule of a human monarch.
"I'm a big shot now," Constantine said with a hint of pride. "A big shot you can't imagine. If this were before, you could still mock me as an ignorant mortal. After I returned from the Imperium, our situations are completely different. In my eyes, you're a pitiful and ignorant god."
Lucifer remained silent.
He had no intention of arguing with Constantine about such matters.
"How was the trip to the Imperium? I heard someone died! It seems the journey wasn't smooth."
"Indeed, a few old fellows died on the way to the Imperium," Constantine said with a sneer. "They were too curious and died. Just thinking about how they died sends shivers down my spine."
"That dangerous? The Imperium is so powerful, yet it couldn't protect you?"
"You would never guess how the Imperium's train traverses two universes. Even if you were once a Satan, a Lord of Hell, a fallen angel who thought humans were utterly foolish, you still couldn't imagine the Imperium's grandeur."
Hearing this, Lucifer looked up.
Ever since the Imperium arrived, Constantine had looked down on him several times.
In the past, Constantine would never have dared to speak to him like that.
After the Imperium arrived, everything went awry.
People learned about another universe and could hear voices from it; they no longer respected gods. Those who once believed in Christ and Allah all started believing in the Emperor. The priests and shamans who used to shout that there was no world without God and no humanity without Allah had vanished.
Lucifer was powerless against Constantine's disdain. Times had changed.
Gods were no longer objects of worship for mortals.
Lucifer's status was not low; his stories appeared in many mythological texts.
New gods and old gods were different.
Old gods were born from human faith, byproducts of civilized races.
New gods, on the other hand, were generated by the cosmic divine waves.
In ancient feudal societies, beliefs were complex, and deities had multiple names referring to themselves. The names of some gods in religions lost to history were forgotten.
Those gods would also perish accordingly. Their domains were created by the dreams and faith of their followers; the more followers, the more magnificent and vast the domain became, like a city with a larger population.
Without followers, a god's domain would slowly become desolate, eventually disappearing into the turbulent currents of the Aether, turning into countless fragments.
Due to the uniqueness of faith and the mystery of the sub-space, the saying "believe and it is, disbelieve and it isn't" is not just a jest.
In a world with a complete reality barrier, a god's influence on reality is very weak. Thanks to the connection between followers and gods, it is often easier for gods to punish followers than to punish those who offend or disrespect them. This was also the Emperor's strategy against the Four Gods in the past.
As long as they were isolated and unreachable,
the Four Gods were as good as dead to humanity. Therefore, the burning of Lorgar's Perfect City was entirely reasonable.
He had put the Emperor's cause in a precarious position.
Faith directed at the Emperor not only pointed to the Emperor but could also allow the Four Gods to establish contact with reality. The existence of the Perfect City had made the Emperor's plan precarious. Take Lucifer, for example, who belongs to the old gods.
He holds titles like Satan, Fallen Angel, and Morning Star.
Every name points to Lucifer himself.
However, this is not the most terrifying aspect. The most terrifying thing is the meaning of Lucifer's existence.
Every time priests sing praises to God, every time they glorify God, every time they speak of Jehovah's enemy, every time they discuss the temptation of humanity, it all points to him.
When humans commit evil deeds and harbor wicked thoughts, thinking of him also continuously nourishes him.
Many people misunderstand the act of sacrifice.
It's not just about offering good tributes and having many devout followers praying earnestly to be considered a sacrifice.
It's like paying taxes; what's declared for personal income is just the surface.
Invisible taxes are hidden in every corner. The cold air breathed in a mall is taxed; it's not just those who meet the tax payment standard who are called taxpayers.
Sacrifice is the same.
Uttering a deity's name implicitly provides offerings to them. The destruction of the Perfect City was a very correct decision. The Imperium erased all divine merits and built a firewall to isolate humanity. The most terrifying aspect of the firewall is that it blocks everything from humanity.
Unless a deity's name is explicitly stated, they can only then receive the faith and spiritual power of their followers.
But even so, those gods and daemons receive very little.
Lucifer is also being continuously weakened.
He is becoming a pathetic mortal being, destined to age, sicken, and die like other mortals, reaching his end.
Constantine didn't realize he had already provoked the former Lord of Hell.
Lucifer looked at Constantine but ultimately didn't react.
He reached out, refilled the other's empty glass, and then continued wiping the empty glasses in his hand.
"Do you know what's in the depths of the Warp?" Constantine lowered his voice. "You absolutely can't imagine."
Lucifer stopped his movements.
He had indeed never explored the depths of the Warp.
As a fallen angel, he was merely a god born from the soil of human civilization. To whatever extent humanity could reach, he could reach.
He knew that beyond the Immaterium where the domains of the gods resided, there was an even vaster world.
However, he had never tried to delve deeper into the Immaterium.
Not to mention the barriers in the Immaterium that even gods couldn't cross, Lucifer and other gods and daemons couldn't stray too far from the humans who provided them with power and faith.
Only a few forgotten ancient gods, unwilling to perish, resolutely found ways to cross the barrier and enter the void's mysterious and terrifying depths. Those individuals never returned.
Although Lucifer was once the Lord of Hell, he had never entered that space that devoured gods.
"The things there are more terrifying than those in Hell. If you utter their names, or violate the regulations, those monsters will swarm in, twisting the host's soul and flesh, turning them into an utter monster."
Upon hearing this, Lucifer continued wiping the wine glass. He nonchalantly continued to ask,
"Then, did you meet the Emperor of the Imperium?"
These words made everyone in the bar prick up their ears and look at Constantine at the bar counter. The daily Imperial Gazette proclaimed the sanctity and greatness of the Emperor.
Now even three-year-old children knew about the Holy Emperor.
Who wouldn't want to learn about a madman who dared to establish an empire across all universes?
To see how many noses and eyes this guy had to dare to do such a thing.
This world is filled with many legendary tales.
People also love stories.
From myths of gods to the travelogues of adventurers and knights.
Countless stories circulate in people's daily lives.
But if one were to ask what kind of story is the most shocking, it would undoubtedly be the stories of kings.
Caesar, who founded the Roman empire; Cyrus the Great, who established the Achaemenid dynasty; Genghis Khan, who trampled numerous civilizations underfoot; Alexander of the Macedonian Kingdom; and Qin Shi Huang of the East—each one was a monarch of unparalleled achievement, whose deeds shone through the ages.
Even as time passes, when these individuals are mentioned, people still subtly show expressions of reverence and longing.
Yet, compared to the current Emperor of the Imperium, they are so minuscule as to be invisible.
An Emperor who forced numerous mythological figures to kneel.
A supreme lord who controls the stars and aims to govern the entire multiverse.
His accomplishments are beyond words, no suitable vocabulary can be found in the human dictionary to describe them.
Even the most magnificent words seem pale and powerless when used to describe him.
No one can imagine if there are greater achievements in this world than those of the Holy Emperor.
Nor can anyone conceive of anyone more ambitious than the Holy Emperor. The gap between any arrogant individual in the world and the Holy Emperor is indescribable.
Everyone gathered around Constantine. They eagerly awaited information about that mysterious, unimaginable monarch.
Constantine looked around at the crowd and smiled faintly. This scene was particularly familiar to him.
Seeing their bewildered and ignorant eyes always gave him a subtle sense of satisfaction.
Constantine was not someone who cared about other people's emotions.
Nor would he use boasting and showing off to elevate his own worth.
But who could endure the pain of being able to show off but not doing so?
Constantine pulled out an exquisite holographic orb from his embrace, "I have indeed seen the Holy Emperor, and even had a personal conversation with Him."
The holographic orb was incredibly smooth, a metal sphere the size of a fist.
As Constantine moved, the holographic orb floated in the air, and with a faint, inaudible mechanical hum, its upper and lower ends extended, releasing beams of light that outlined a series of images. The face of a giant appeared in those images.
Noble and perfect, as if carved by a master craftsman with flawless skill. This image was not unfamiliar to the people in the bar. The Imperial Daily, Imperial Military Forum, and other official Imperial propaganda agencies often broadcast news from Terra, and the Holy Emperor frequently appeared in the footage.
"I understand your apprehension. An empire from a different universe, conflicting with your propagated simple racial and national consciousness, is unsettling. Many view the Imperium as an invader, believing it has taken your homes, your traditions, your customs. But you must also realize that humanity's unity is inevitable. If we cannot act as a whole to face future crises, how far can this species truly go?"
Constantine's voice also appeared in the image, but it sounded very clumsy.
He spoke disjointedly, like a nervous child, completely lacking his usual confident demeanor.
"How embarrassing," a drinking patron remarked. "Constantine, you usually talk like a machine gun, never stopping. Why are you acting like a shy, newlywed bride?"
Constantine glanced at the person and said with a contemptuous tone, "If you were to meet Him, I'm afraid you'd perform even worse than I did."
"That's not necessarily true," the patron retorted. "So what if he's the Holy Emperor? He still has two eyes and one mouth."
Hearing this, Constantine chuckled.
"Friend, do you know who He is? Look at this one."
Constantine patted Lucifer, who was wiping glasses.
"The great Morning Star, Lucifer, one of the Satans of Hell. He's now selling drinks at a bar, mixing cocktails for you, earning a few Imperial credits. Could you have imagined such treatment before?"
"What do you think made him abandon his status as a king of hell and sit here mixing drinks, instead of cutting open your foolish brain to see how much water is inside?"
"It's because of Him, the Holy Emperor of the Imperium, that Lord Lucifer can sit here and politely mix drinks for you. In front of such a figure, do you think you can speak eloquently? Think about it, what qualifications do you have to stand before Him and speak eloquently? Are you someone with that kind of grand vision?"
Many patrons pondered Constantine's words. They realized he wasn't wrong.
How could people like them possibly speak eloquently in front of such a figure?
That patron was also left speechless by Constantine's retort.
Constantine drained his glass and stood up, looking at everyone.
"In the deep reaches of the Warp, where even so-called gods and daemons like Lucifer cannot, or dare not, tread, the Imperium has laid a tunnel for inter-universal communication, attempting to connect all universes. Imagine such a feat, such grandeur—who else could achieve it?"
"You people are short-sighted, unable to see the vastness of the myriad universes. You are like the serfs of the Age of Sail, living on their small plots of land; you cannot possibly imagine what kind of era awaits you.
But when you one day get the chance to travel to other star systems, to other universes, you will realize how foolish and ignorant you were at this moment, and how insignificant everything you once clung to was.
Only then will you truly grasp the immense weight of the title 'Holy Emperor.' He is a colossal wave sweeping across the heavens, and we are merely insignificant ripples within it."
"Compared to what you've said, I'm more interested in the history of the Imperium," Lucifer said. "Is it an ancient empire that has existed for eons?"
Constantine scratched his head at this. "It's not, but if you hear the true history of the Imperium, you will undoubtedly come to revere the Holy Emperor. You will understand why those fanatical Imperials hold their Emperor in such high esteem, and you will realize what a truly great monarch is like.
He is so great, so selfless, dedicating everything solely to humanity and the Imperium, sacrificing all. You will understand how noble that great figure is, and realize that He wields supreme power not for enjoyment, but for that infinite responsibility and duty."
"Prepare your tissues, because you will weep throughout the following story, until its end. I have no doubt about this, for even a heartless and cold person like me shed tears upon hearing those stories of giving everything just to survive. The resilience of humanity can reach such a degree, fighting with all their might in eternal darkness, just for that glimmer of dawn."
"This story begins with the Great Crusade, with the Holy Emperor's father, a failed but self-sacrificing monarch whom Imperials call the Emperor. The most crucial parts of these stories are, of course, the Primarchs, including the Holy Emperor, and the Astartes they commanded—the predecessors of what you now see as the Primaris Marines. They were beings stronger than mortals, yet weaker than gods."
"Let me think where to begin. Let's start with the warlord killed by the Holy Emperor's father—the Emperor—Pope Morandson. That was the beginning of the Imperium's god-slaying."
Constantine dramatically pulled back the curtain on the story with an exaggerated tone.
"I personally witnessed the Emperor unify Terra, saw the fall of the tech-warlords with my own eyes, and beheld the first flame of human civilization reborn from the ashes."
"I also witnessed Horus' betrayal, the moment the Emperor's foundation crumbled and was destroyed, and the day Terra was submerged in blood."
"My name is Sagittarus, a poor wretch buried in a sarcophagus."
These words are from the memoirs of Sagittarus, a veteran of the Custodian Guard's Shield-Company during the Great Crusade. They are written on the first page, first line. This is a memoir left by a Custodian who participated in the Unification Wars of Terra and the Great Crusade. The story of this Custodian is incredibly rich.
He accompanied the Emperor's rise and was eventually interred in a Dreadnought sarcophagus during battle.
After the Siege of Terra, when the Emperor ascended the Golden Throne, he left behind this memoir to record stories that should not be forgotten. This book has always been kept in the Custodian Guard's library.
Only after the Holy Emperor's ascension did scholars researching history gain access to these secret documents, allowing them to compile copies for the world. The surviving memoir also became important historical material for studying the early days of the Imperium's founding.
It allows people to truly see the demise of heroes and the shameful betrayals.
His story was once buried in the river of history. Then it was unearthed and placed in the Imperial History Museum, continuing to be told. This story is destined not to be forgotten.
It will continue to be passed down until the universe is destroyed, all things decay, and even gods vanish into the unpredictable and unimaginable expanse of time; this story will still continue to be told. The story Constantin is about to tell is precisely the one left by this Custodian. This story is not the best.
But it is the most comprehensive. This story, from the perspective of a Custodian, recounts the Emperor's rise, the founding of the Imperium, and the war between the Primarchs and the Space Marines.
After the terrible Age of Strife that completely relegated humanity from its dominant position in the galaxy, the Long Night crisis followed closely behind.
Human civilization, which had been glorious in its expansion into the galaxy, quickly faded and became fragmented. The Long Night crisis lasted for over five thousand years.
All human-colonized worlds were cut off by raging warp storms, making interstellar travel impossible. Terra's connection with all its colonies was severed.
Countless human worlds across the galaxy plunged into chaotic wars. The struggle for power among various factions and nations caused humanity to fragment.
And in some worlds where governments completely collapsed and were controlled by psykers and mutants, bizarre and terrifying events also occurred.
Hordes of the soulless crossed the boundary between reality and illusion, entering the real universe. Those monsters surged out of the warp in droves, harvesting and sacrificing entire planets, creating countless unimaginably terrifying massacres.
It was an unimaginably dark age.
Countless powerful technologies were forgotten by people.
Former virtues and progress were abandoned.
All that remained was endless chaos and mutual slaughter.
Once noble humans became a group of savage beasts.
Mad psykers and religious demagogues waged incessant wars.
Human civilization rapidly crumbled like a collapsing tower.
Just as humanity was about to face its ultimate destruction,
A great figure appeared.
He was the father of the Holy Emperor, the Great Emperor, the founder of the Imperium, the guardian of humanity, and the warrior who fought against the gods.
From the moment he stepped onto the stage, and for ten thousand years into the future, the Emperor's name would be sung countless times.
During the Age of Strife, Terra became a wasteland disputed by tech-overlords, mutants, and psykers. The land turned to scorched earth. The oceans had also dried up.
People clung to life like beasts in the wasteland.
Murder and evil were rampant everywhere. They resorted to any means to survive, losing all their noble human virtues. To reverse all this, the Emperor established his legions, the Thunder warriors and the Custodian Guard, in the ruins. The former was his army that conquered all directions and deterred all enemies.
The latter were his personal guards who swore to dedicate their lives and souls to him. Those weaker warlords and factions were defeated by him, and their populations and resources were completely absorbed.
Like a snowball, the Emperor's power grew stronger and stronger.
Pope Moransen was the first tough nut he encountered.
He had established a vast religious state in the wasteland in the name of God.
Arrogance and fear were at the core of this religion.
People always fear death, fear hardship, fear the cruel power of the universe, fear the eventual annihilation, and fear their helplessness before fate.
Pope Moransen used apocalyptic propaganda to establish a religious force maintained by fear. This force was extremely cruel and bloody.
Mass graves filled with white bones.
Crucified and sacrificed heretics were everywhere.
Blood and cruelty were the hallmarks of Pope Moransen's faction.
Initially, the Pope was just a priest who offered water and food. Those gods noticed him, tormenting him in the name of faith, making his life difficult and full of suffering.
When he prayed, those gods would then ceremoniously bestow blessings. Through such means, this priest became increasingly devout to his gods, proclaiming himself a shepherd of God.
Under the command of the gods, he ordered his followers to offer themselves to the evil machines left over from the ancient Long Night, cloning ferocious augmented soldiers to conquer cities and territories for him, bringing "liberation" to those people in the name of God.
One by one, settlements were captured by him, and more displaced people were gathered by him. To fulfill the will of the gods, they were so depraved, committing horrifying atrocities for the sake of so-called justice.
Superstition and ignorance dragged them deeper and deeper. To validate their faith, they repeatedly killed captured heretics, piling up their bodies to form mass graves. Those crimes were so terrible, so unforgivable. The Emperor led the Thunder warriors and the Custodian Guard in an attack against them.
Pope Moransen had meticulously preserved many advanced technologies and also wielded mysterious warp powers.
He was very skilled at inciting the ignorant. Tribal savages and fanatics swore to defend their faith and future. They wore crude power armor and animal furs to ward off the cold wind. Their bulky, heavily muscled, genetically modified bodies were covered with countless religious symbols and scars. The first large-scale war soon erupted.
Nuclear bombs landed, unleashing deafening explosions and mushroom clouds clearly visible tens of kilometers away.
warriors from both sides raised various banners and fought in the city ruins filled with white bones.
Radiation-filled winds carried the shouts of battle and the screams of death. Terrifying siege cannons and engines flashed with scorching fire and deafening sounds.
In the slaughter by the Thunder warriors and the Custodian Guard, Pope Moransen's defeat was inevitable. To salvage his grand undertaking, he unleashed a terrible sorcery.
As the war erupted, the Pope unleashed all his mysterious magic.
Dense swarms of insects, like torrential rain, blotted out the sky and swept towards the Emperor's army. They clogged air intakes, gun barrels, visors, and all orifices.
Drinking water spontaneously boiled, engines overheated and overloaded, burning out.
Many soldiers either turned into rigid statues, became boneless, or had their flesh rot and fall off.
Some descended into madness, screaming hysterically.
Others transformed into daemons, slaughtering each other.
Swarms of insects crawled everywhere, spreading wildly.
People's bodies became covered in pustules, then their minds and bodies drastically changed, transforming into unspeakable monsters attacking their companions and chewing on their bloody corpses.
In this moment of despair, the Emperor appeared like the morning sun, and the power of those sorceries melted away like spring snow.
His personal Custodian Guard then seized this opportunity, swarming into the fortress, capturing the individual, and ending this terrifying battle.
Pope Moransen was eventually executed, and his people were absorbed into the nascent Imperium. The Emperor brutally destroyed all the temples the Pope had built, reducing all poems and scriptures recording those gods to ashes.
He used violent means to erase all traces of the gods' existence.
Pope Moransen's defeat laid the foundation for the Emperor's unification efforts. Thereafter, the Pan-Pacific Tyrant-Doom, the brutal Gene-Lord-Bishop Tang, Akad who ruled the central Eurasian region, Lord Nofei who controlled the Aesindio-class combat robots developed during the Golden Age, and others, also failed in subsequent battles. Their brutal rule was ended by the Emperor.
Some were imprisoned in Terra's jails, while others were permanently exiled. The Emperor conquered Terra and rebuilt human civilization on its ruins.
He initiated many social reforms; fear and blind superstition were expelled, replaced by practicality and rationality. The Astronomican, for interstellar faster-than-light travel, was established.
The astropathic Choir, for interstellar faster-than-light communication, was also established. The Emperor utilized various genetic experiments to stabilize the population and reshape the human species, returning it to its state before the warp storms.
The Gene-cult of Luna and the Mechanicum of Mars, persuaded by the Emperor, eventually chose to pledge allegiance to him.
With their help, the Emperor created the precursor to the Primaris Marines—the Space Marines—and built a large number of ships, ushering in the glorious Great Crusade. The Emperor, with his space marine Legions, embarked on a grand journey to liberate all humanity from xenos and warp creatures.
World after world was reclaimed.
Xenos enemies were scattered or annihilated in a series of wars.
Worlds contaminated by the warp were purged with virus bombs and cyclonic torpedoes unleashed during orbital bombardment.
During his conquests, he also successively found the Primarchs, who had been scattered to other planets by the Chaos Gods, allowing them to lead the Space Marines created with them as anchors, as originally planned. The Primarchs were created from the Emperor's own gene-stock.
Each one was adjusted. They were shaped into leaders and generals of humanity. The Space Marines were also divided into eighteen Legions, corresponding to the eighteen Primarchs scattered across the galaxy. These Primarchs should have grown up by the Emperor's side.
However, due to the machinations of traitors who stumbled into chaotic time streams and the Chaos Gods, the infant Primarchs were scattered throughout the galaxy, growing up far from the Emperor.
After launching the Great Crusade, the Emperor successively reunited with the Primarchs. The Primarchs, like gods, galloped across the battlefields of the Great Crusade, reclaiming world after world for the Imperium.
Under the leadership of the Primarchs, the Space Marines achieved tremendous development. The progress of the Great Crusade also accelerated due to the return of the Primarchs.
Every liberated world was swiftly armed.
Like a snowball, the Imperial expeditionary force grew increasingly massive.
After achieving a series of glorious victories in the Great Crusade, The Emperor believed the time was ripe to return to Terra for the next phase of his grand plan to save humanity.
He trusted that the Primarchs he created would complete the subsequent campaigns in his stead. The Primarchs had repeatedly proven their strength and would soon completely eliminate xenos and other threats to humanity.
Horus was the first Primarch to return, and the Emperor's greatest champion.
He gained recognition in the campaigns to eradicate xenos empires. The Emperor entrusted the Great Crusade to him, appointing him Warmaster.
Storytelling itself isn't special, but making a story beloved by people is far from simple.
Constantin, precisely, possessed this ability.
Many considered him cynical, a glib deceiver.
But people must admit that glibness, in many instances, is also an enviable skill. This skill often belongs only to the exceptionally gifted and cannot be achieved through later modifications or enhancements.
For a story to be truly moving, the speaker must possess the ability to empathize with others. The Imperium's Renovation technology can grant a person a strong physique and agile mind, but it cannot grant them the ability to empathize. This ability is an absolute talent.
People were captivated by the history of the Imperium as recounted by Constantine.
A historical epic of the Imperium, written by countless individuals with their lives and courage, slowly unfolded before them.
It allowed them to glimpse the story behind a powerful empire, one that wielded countless advanced technologies and commanded a vast army. The existence of the Imperium is a miracle.
But it is not a miracle created by gods.
It is a miracle created by countless heroes who sacrificed their lives for humanity's survival.
People quietly listened to the Imperium's past. The last trace of resistance in their hearts towards the Imperium vanished. The Imperium is not some unimaginable god, nor is it an unfathomable supreme being.
It is composed of ordinary human beings. The founding of the Imperium was not as easy and uneventful as God creating the world in seven days.
Nor did the creators of the Imperium conjure the world with a few words.
Instead, after countless setbacks and battles, they led humanity out of hardship and established the Imperium amidst ruins and desolation. The existence of the Imperium does not glorify gods, but humanity itself. The people gathered around immersed themselves in this story, imagining themselves participating in that grand and magnificent Great Crusade.
What a magnificent undertaking that was.
"Such a story might satisfy those with chuunibyou, but it's far from bringing tears to one's eyes," Lucifer said, wiping a glass, looking up.
Constantine drained a glass of wine and smiled.
"This story is merely the beginning. If it were just this, I would never have cried uncontrollably. The cruelest thing in the world is to display something beautiful before you and then utterly shatter it. You have witnessed a monarch's aspirations for his race, witnessed the grand vision outlined by the first Emperor for mankind, and now comes the cruel part of this story."
"You are my son, Horus. We have fought side by side for the longest time, and you are the one who understands my dreams and goals best. Now, the time has come for me to retreat to Terra, and my duty as a warrior will end here. The battles to come are yours. I bestow upon you the title of Warmaster. From this day forward, all my armies and generals shall obey you as if the orders were personally given by me. With my trust, go and save our lost brethren."
Horus became Warmaster, gaining control of all the armies. The Emperor returned to Terra to begin his next phase of planning.
If this plan succeeded, humanity would achieve true liberation, able to live happily and never again experience the horrors of the Long Night. To better coordinate resources across various regions, the Emperor established the Terran Council, tasking it with handling Terran government affairs and establishing and maintaining Imperial law across countless Imperial worlds. The Emperor's departure caused considerable distress among the people.
After the Terran Council was formed, the Primarchs who did not secure seats felt particularly abandoned. They openly questioned Horus' orders, ignored his commands, or twisted his directives for their own personal gain.
Horus felt immense pressure.
He had to exert all his effort to maintain balance and strive for victory to uphold his identity and status.
Horus was so desperate for honor to prove himself worthy of the title of Warmaster.
Any affront to his reputation was intolerable for Horus at that time.
And the enemies lurking in the shadows exploited precisely this point. The Emperor launched this war not to create an empire under his control, but for humanity's true transcendence, to allow humanity to escape its ultimate fate of destruction.
And the Emperor's enemies were the primordial destroyers; some called them gods, others called them omniscient and omnipotent beings, but whatever the description or name, it revealed the power and terror of those entities.
When the Emperor's power was ascendant, they hid themselves.
When the Emperor was forced to leave his sons, they became active, secretly seeking opportunities to corrupt the Emperor's progeny.
As the Warp storms gradually approached, the Emperor's time was running out.
He had to create a superluminal path for humanity that didn't rely on the Warp before the new Warp storms arrived, to maintain Imperial communication and navigation. The arrival of the storms weakened the connections between various Imperial domains.
Even with the guidance of the Astronomican, Warp travel was slowly becoming more dangerous. The connection between the entire Imperium and Terra was slowly weakening.
Humanity had to find a way to circumvent its reliance on the Warp, otherwise the nascent Imperium would be destroyed in the next wave of storms.
If this failed, humanity would never have another chance to rebuild civilization. The Chaos Gods would completely control the real universe, just like those corrupted universes, becoming a paradise for the lifeless.
The Imperium would once again shatter, and human civilization would be utterly destroyed. The Emperor had to quickly proceed with his plan and complete all the work. This plan was so crucial.
So much so that he could only share it with a select few who had always accompanied him.
Even the Primarchs knew no details. Those arrogant and ignorant Primarchs, when the Emperor could not watch over them, were corrupted by those primordial beings who meticulously sought to enslave humanity and control the real universe. The first to be corrupted was Lorgar, the Primarch of the Word Bearers Legion.
He fanatically worshipped powerful individuals and built numerous temples for the Emperor.
In his fervor, he committed many unforgivable sins in the Emperor's name.
Imagine those medieval religious wars transplanted into space.
Planet after planet was subjected to immolation as heretics for refusing to listen to Lorgar's religious doctrines.
Making the entire world smell of roasted meat.
Lorgar initiated countless religious massacres during the Great Crusade.
Many innocents were subjected to extermination orders for not accepting the Word Bearers' preachings. The Emperor disliked Lorgar's methods, reprimanding him multiple times and instructing him to learn from his brother—Guilliman.
Out of jealousy, this fellow turned to worshipping the forces of destruction.
He and his minions secretly orchestrated the Davin incident.
First, they stole a terrifying weapon imbued with evil Warp energy from a scattered human civilization among the stars, then tricked Horus into their trap, allowing a traitor on the planet Davin to seize an opportunity to wound Horus with this weapon.
Due to the weakness brought on by his physical injuries, coupled with his doubts about the Emperor's cause, the Chaos Gods finally breached Horus' defenses.
Horus had no idea what the Emperor was doing in the hidden palace!
Nor was he aware that humanity was facing an unprecedented extinction crisis.
A super-scale Warp storm would tear apart fragile human civilization, turning the entire real universe into hell.
He only felt abandoned by his father, and his Primarch brothers were unwilling to obey his command.
Amidst deception and lies, Horus forged a wicked pact with the Chaos Gods.
"Give us the Emperor, and you will be the true Lord of the Galaxy, Horus."
The Chaos Gods' enticement made Horus believe his father was the source of chaos.
He intended to save humanity from his father's hands. Those already corrupted Primarchs, who harbored discontent towards the Emperor, were quickly swayed by him.
Even the Space Marines were soon drawn into their faction. The Primarchs held significant influence over their Legions.
Space Marines regarded their Primarchs as fathers and mentors, willing to fight to the death for them.
Of course, some Space Marines did not go along with them. They valued the future of humanity more than their Primarchs. They firmly believed that only the Emperor could lead humanity's future.
A sorrowful betrayal soon erupted.
Horus used his authority to dispatch the space marine legions who would never be loyal to him far away, and twisted the Emperor's orders, forcing the Space Wolves and the Thousand Sons sorcerers into a bloody battle.
On the planet Istvaan III, Horus orchestrated another great purge.
And set a trap on Istvaan, ambushing three loyal Primarchs with those who had already betrayed but had not yet revealed themselves.
Ultimately, Ferrus Manus, Primarch of the Iron Hands, was killed; Vulkan, Primarch of the Salamanders, was captured; and Corvus Corax, Primarch of the Raven Guard, was rescued after a long guerrilla war, but his forces suffered heavy casualties.
Constantine lowered his voice, and the holographic sphere in his hand broadcast the compiled video and audio recordings. Those heroes roared in betrayal and despair. They had never imagined their comrades would betray them.
Scene after scene of war was recorded. The Istvaan Campaign, the Sara Betrayal, the Five Hundred Worlds Massacre, Beta-Garmon, and so on—galaxy-spanning wars erupted one after another.
Each time, tens of billions of humans perished.
People's emotions slowly sank.
A faint shadow was cast over the glorious human civilization. The drinking people sat silently in their places. The Imperium's past was so tragic.
It saddened everyone who heard it.
"I have a life full of honor and a few regrets, traitor, dare you say the same?"
"For everything we once created."
"The plains and mountains of Chogoris are so beautiful, and I can no longer see them."
"Never betray the blood of Sanguinius."
"The Iron Hands never yield."
"Even if Vulkan is dead, the Salamanders will never compromise."
"Fenris forged our unyielding will."
"I wish to sing your stories for posterity, but alas, I cannot."
"Remember my name, daemon, I am Ollanius, and I will forever despise you and your masters."
As Constantine recounted the Siege of Terra, and how those heroes who once fought for humanity among the stars sacrificed themselves one by one to defend humanity's future.
Mortals picked up weapons to fight against those terrifying monsters.
Using their frail bodies to resist the minions of the Chaos Gods.
Relying on each other in the darkness, seeking that tiny bit of pitiful courage.
Some were already shedding tears.
Simply because the Imperium's story was not about superheroes, but about countless ordinary people defending their hard-won home. They took up arms because of the destruction of their homes, fighting unimaginable monsters and traitors who had turned to the gods. There were no heroes in tights, nor miracles created by gods.
Only survival, earned by countless humans with blood and courage.
"The battle between loyalists and traitors was extremely fierce; they fought for every palace wall, every wall, bodies piled up like mountains. As the war vehicles advanced, they trampled over corpses and ashes. The war quickly reached its climax; after a long struggle, both loyalists and traitors were at their limits."
"The loyalists were pushed to the last wall, with no tactics, no strategy, and no hope. Those terrifying monsters materialized at will, slaughtering every human. Terra's sky was shrouded by countless horrors: mountain-sized eyes, tentacles as vast as Mount Everest, slapping the rotting ground—every sight was horrific. The entire world was dragged into the abyss. If Terra fell, humanity would have no hope left."
"The Emperor, scarred and weary, emerged from his hidden palace. The warriors and scholars who had followed him into the palace for humanity's future had already bled their last. His plan—the Webway, which could be used for superluminal communication and travel—had failed due to the foolishness of his son, Magnus of the Thousand Sons Legion."
"For the humanity he protected, for this foolish and short-sighted species to continue existing, he had already decided to duel his treacherous son, even if this decision meant his own death. He would spare nothing; for humanity, the Emperor could sacrifice everything."
"When the Emperor was preparing for his decisive battle with Horus, loyalist reinforcements were only a few hours away from Terra. The loyalists rushed to Terra desperately, and once their armies entered the battlefield, the tide of the war would turn dramatically. The loyalists would utterly crush those damn traitors."
"So, did the loyalists arrive in time to defeat the traitors led by Horus?" a patron with bloodshot eyes asked.
A hero's demise, a king's lament.
How many paid the price of their lives to secure humanity's future?
Reinforcements were only a few hours from the battlefield.
If the defenders could just hold on a little longer, they could defeat those damned traitors and make them pay the heaviest price. That would have been a pretty good ending to the story.
Constantine surveyed the listeners, seeing their expressions of hope for a good ending, and a cruel smile appeared on his face.
Reality isn't a fairy tale.
Otherwise, how could the Imperium have become so ruthless, eradicating those gods unwilling to submit?
"Horus had sealed off all external communication channels to Terra, so the defenders were unaware of the approaching reinforcements. Even more terrifying was that Terra had been corrupted by the power of the Warp, and time was controlled, no longer flowing freely. If the Emperor didn't act to deal with Horus, he might have controlled time indefinitely, prolonging the stalemate."
"The confrontation between the Emperor and Horus was something the gods had been pushing for, something humanity at the time couldn't stop. Whether loyal warriors or despicable traitors, they were merely pawns in the hands of the Chaos Gods. This civil war, which caused immense casualties for humanity, was merely a rare form of entertainment in the eyes of the Chaos Gods."
"The Webway project backfired on the Emperor, forcing him to constantly divert his attention to seal and suppress the Webway entrance, unable to leave the Imperial Palace.
His long-time companion and subordinate, the hero Malcador, sacrificed his life to temporarily take his place in controlling the seal and suppressing the Webway. This allowed the Emperor to leave the palace, dragging his weary body to face Horus in a decisive battle."
"Horus, empowered by the gods, was incredibly strong. He also used various schemes to weaken the warriors who boarded the ship with the Emperor, even manipulating them to attack the Emperor."
"When the Emperor broke free from those enemies, leading the remaining Custodes to Horus' location, the latter had already killed one of the Primarchs who boarded the ship—Sanguinius. That noble Primarch, who fought for humanity until his last breath, lay on the floor, his pristine white wings stained crimson with blood."
"The Emperor was shocked by Horus' utter depravity. He hoped to awaken the soul of his son, but the outcome was tragic. Horus had completely fallen, beyond redemption. He gravely wounded the Emperor, killed the Emperor's personal guards, and an immortal who had traveled a great distance to help.
That immortal had once parted ways with the Emperor, but for the future of humanity, he resolutely chose to return, shielding the Emperor from a fatal blow, and then transferring his remaining strength to the gravely wounded Emperor, giving him the power for a final counterattack."
"Realizing he could not save Horus, the Emperor unleashed a psyker lightning bolt capable of destroying stars. Even with the Chaos Gods' blessings, Horus struggled against the psyker lightning, being struck down and screaming in agony."
"After expelling the powers of the gods, Horus regained some sanity. Realizing what he had done, he shed tears of regret. Horus begged his father to kill him, as he could no longer resist the gods."
"Horus was finally killed, and the Emperor also collapsed from his severe wounds. Although humanity did not achieve transcendence, it survived."
Many patrons had red-rimmed eyes, and the more emotional ones were sobbing uncontrollably. The Emperor had achieved unprecedented feats, possessing immense power and immortal life.
Yet, he did not indulge in pleasure, dedicating everything to the weak mortals. Think about it, how many people in this world, with a little power in their hands, maximize its use to gain benefits for themselves?
Even minor officials think about making money and chasing women.
With two cents in their pocket, they think about carousing and doing nothing.
Yet, the founder of a stellar empire had no thirty thousand concubines, nor hundreds of thousands of consorts. Instead, he devoted himself to conquest and the struggle for humanity's benefit.
Countless human heroes united around him because of this. They had expected a good ending, but the outcome was so tragic. The Chaos Gods became the biggest winners.
Countless humans died in the civil war, nourishing those hateful monsters.
Constantine glanced at them, then drained the wine Lucifer had poured for him. They were already losing control of their tears, and they hadn't even heard the best part yet. The best is yet to come.
It will definitely make these people gnash their teeth. The Imperial Palace.