Warhammer: I don't want to become a stinky can!

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The archangel could understand why the ghouls were silent now; the words of the Madman [Angron] were clearly intriguing enough.

The ghoul's subconscious silence clearly confirmed that he knew of Horus's rebellious intentions, but there was a more pressing issue that needed to be addressed: whether Guilliman knew about this.

Logically, Guilliman is able to control the strength of each Primarch's warp power. At the same time, Guilliman also attaches great importance to the abilities of the Lustful Angron. Before Angron fell into the path of Slaanesh, Guilliman often used Angron's ability to see through people's hearts to make plans.

But the question now is whether [Angron] is truly on the same side as [Guilliman]? The ghoul believes that this is not an absolute answer; [Angron], whom everyone despises, clearly has his own plans and considerations.

Even if Angron didn't tell King Guilliman about this, even Angron could see through Horus's thoughts...

Won't that cunning old fox, Guilliman, notice something?

Of all the Primarchs, the one who should not be underestimated is Robert Guilliman, even though that guy sometimes seems arrogant to the point of madness.

Even the seemingly humble and cautious Mortarion ultimately lost out in his confrontation with Guilliman.

The ghoul Saint Gilles felt a chill run down his spine; he believed Horus had only uttered this little grumble to those he trusted most…

However, Guilliman also had numerous spies infiltrated into the various legions, and he completely tamed the Alphas so that the twins would serve him.

Perhaps all of this was just the ghoul's wild imagination, but the facts were proving his unease—

For this expedition, [Guilliman] did not send [Horus] and Shadowmoon Wolves, but instead sent [Saint Gilles] alone.

Although the Shadowmoon Wolves' combat strength is not outstanding within the Empire, if they are used as advance line-filling soldiers... [Saint Gilles] thinks [Killiman] would definitely not feel sorry for them.

Meanwhile, within the [Human Empire], it is currently guarded by the Abomination [Fenus Manus].

【Fernus】—the Primarch most trusted by 【Guilliman】.

【Fenus Manus】is the Primarch whose mindset is closest to 【Robert】. The only difference between them is that 【Guilliman】is more playful, finds his own amusement, has more ambition, and a fondness for war.

During the Terra Incident, Robert Guilliman, with tears streaming down his face, personally returned Fuggen, who had been killed by Peturabo, to Fernus Manus. He then managed to keep Fuggen's soul from dissipating using his psychic powers. After that, Fernus Manus remained grateful to Guilliman.

It is worth mentioning that when the Lord of Man proposed to delay the Great Crusade, Fernus was the first to agree with Guilliman's viewpoint. Because of their similar views in some aspects, and Guilliman's efficiency which far surpassed that of other Primarchs, Fernus always regarded this Lord of Macragge as a role model.

After Fugen's death, Fernus, who shared the same political views as Guilliman, decided to follow the Wicked King completely.

Meanwhile, due to the death of his former close friend, Fugen, Fernus's already limited emotions gradually thinned until they disappeared completely.

He gradually became the most efficient machine under Guilliman's command. Even Angron sometimes didn't bother to look at Fenus, unless the Frenzied wanted to sneak into the Abomination's most hidden workshop in search of the eternally sleeping silver-haired Primarch.

…………

If, while most of the Primarchs and Legions are away on campaign, an order is given to Phenus to eliminate Horus...

The ghoul felt cold sweat trickling down his forehead. He clearly couldn't apply to go back now; doing so would only confirm Horus's betrayal.

However, the Shadowmoon Wolf is unlikely to be a match for [Fenus], who controls the deployment of the entire human empire's army.

Now how to do?

The ghoul's mind was in complete chaos; his concern clouded his judgment, and some of his fangs were bared, as if he were craving blood and flesh.

There is a solution, but it requires absolute understanding and rationality between him and Horus. If the Empire were to launch a full-scale attack on Horus...

If this front collapses, then Guilliman will inevitably face a choice—where to prioritize the allocation of his limited forces?

Compared to Horus, the pressure and threat posed by an entire empire is certainly greater here.

The ghoul remained silent for a long time. In fact, he, who had never revealed his prophetic abilities to others, knew more—a truth far closer to the essence than others.

such as.

He knew that their empire would ultimately amount to nothing.

This is precisely the truth behind why ghouls avoid the world; in fact, this is not the first time Horus has entertained the idea of ​​betrayal.

Before this point in time, long before this, Horus had tentatively tried to persuade the ghouls to oppose Guilliman.

Saint Gilles smiled and declined Horus's offer, persuading the wolf god to abandon the idea.

Since this "empire" is ultimately nothingness, it's better to enjoy ten thousand years of pleasure and then depart gracefully.

Saint Gilles did not have a strong desire to live. For him, life and death, the dissipation and existence of consciousness, were nothing more than the sunrise and sunset of Baal. If he were to live like Finus or Guilliman, he would rather fall into a deep sleep as soon as possible.

Fortunately, he did not suffer such a painful life, as his friend Horus stayed by his side.

Of course, the ghoul did not tell Horus his true thoughts. Unlike Sangilius, Horus was a pragmatic fellow who needed something meaningful to exist. Therefore, the wolf god never truly abandoned the idea of ​​rebellion. In front of his close friend, Horus brought it up again and again, as if he really hoped that the ghoul would help him.

………………

[We can't win.]

The ghoul said calmly,

[He controls the entire empire's resources and army—we have no chance of winning with just two legions.]

Horus blinked and stared longingly at Saint Gilles, as if hoping he would agree to betray him that very day.

[It wasn't just the two of us, Saint Gilles.]

He said, sincerely spreading out his hands,

[If we revolt, I bet the Fourteenth Prince will join us.]

[But what happens after that? Three legions won't stand much of a chance...]

Moreover... [Motalian] is a key target of surveillance, and [Killiman] will immediately notice any movement he makes.

But the ghoul didn't say those words aloud; he only spoke with some impatience.

[Then you should go and discuss it with him.]

[No, no, no, if I can't even convince my best friend, how can I win over others?]

So Horus tried and tried again, but the ghouls stubbornly defended their city and refused to agree.

until……

Until now.

In another destiny, the ghoul felt his hand gripping the spear tremble slightly. As if venting his anger, he raised the spear high and then brought it down, stabbing it into the twitching mass of rotting flesh.

Regardless of whether it was Angron who leaked the information, Angron's words just now have already reminded the ghouls that Horus is in a very dangerous situation.

But why did he say that...? Why did he say it in front of two Saint Gilles...?

The ghoul believed that the maniac's words were not unintentional due to a drug overdose.

[Angron] also has his own demands—and now he wants to use the ghouls as a weapon.

What angered the ghoul Saint Gilles even more was that he had no idea of ​​Angron's motives for doing so, and instead found himself being held captive.

When the rotten flesh had decomposed to the point of being completely rotten, the ghoul took a deep breath. He regained his facial expression, and a slightly helpless smile appeared on his calm face.

I have a question.

He laughed and looked at the archangel.

[If Horus were in a good relationship with you, and he suddenly fell into crisis, what would you do?]

Archangel Saint Gilles simply looked at him, his eyes filled with compassion, sorrow, and understanding. Neither of them uttered a sound amidst the groans of the fleshy mass called Angron.

Yet they already knew each other's answers.

This is Saint Gilles.

The good news is that the angel Saint Gilles doesn't have this problem anymore.

In his mind, he had already bound Horus and the Lord of Man to death with a smile, and then released them both.

....................................

Another Fate Line

"interesting……"

On a recently abandoned mining planet, in an environment of extremely low temperatures and high radiation...

A middle-aged man wearing a blue and red floral beach shirt and sunglasses was walking in the desert with his flip-flops dangling. Beside him, the tall Primarch had also taken off his armor and followed the Lord of Man with some restraint.

Neos stretched out his hand, and ripples of pale blue light spread out around his arm.

"Their physical world is almost completely integrated with subspace."

Neos clicked his tongue in amazement. He immediately understood what had happened: after removing the still-active fragments of the Star Gods within the galaxy, the Empire had chosen to fully embrace the warp.

With the prayers of many believers and the guidance of the Primarch, the Warp successfully began to overlap with the physical world and gradually gained control over the underlying logic and rules.

[This is really...weird.]

Horus spoke cautiously, his gaze piercing through the vast desert to the towering sculpture standing in the distant abandoned settlement. It was the sculpture of Guilliman, surrounded by smaller, abstract sculptures symbolizing the power of the four gods.

The sculptures of the four gods do not depict specific images, but exist in an extremely generalized form.

Beside the now neglected sculpture, some demons were chattering and circling around it, making a racket like birds.

“Be careful. Although I can shield myself from those powers, it’s best to avoid them. It would be troublesome if we were discovered in advance—my ‘son’ [Guilliman] has built an extremely large psionic network.”

Neos pulled down his sunglasses, glanced at the sculpture, and then began to mutter to himself again.

"This is really weird. What happened to my other self? I've fallen to this state. I'm so bad. Can you please stop embarrassing me?"

"It is indeed strange. It's one thing for me to be so incompetent, but why was Makado... persuaded by Erda to betray us? No, Erda? Never mind."

Neos muttered to himself, figuring no one could hear him anyway, and escaping Terran politics felt quite liberating.

The emperor had quite a bit to say, because he was really dissatisfied with this fate line.

It's one thing for him to be incompetent, but why does [Macardo] also seem so reckless? Is [Macardo] the kind of person who can be easily persuaded by [Ilda]? Absolutely not! Absolutely not!

So far, Neos has only been interested in two points in this timeline: the storm on Terra and the Terra Incident.

However, when his words reached Horus's ears, the Primarch's expression turned somewhat sour—at least Makado still hadn't made a good impression on Horus.

Horus thought to himself that he should try to persuade his father, but he didn't know how to begin. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the Lord of Man suddenly freeze in place, his face filled with astonishment and his mouth agape.

【? ! 】

The Primarch immediately became alert, drawing his sword from his waist, but found no danger.

Then, following the gaze of the Lord of Humanity, he saw a person.

The first human they encountered in this line of fate.

Yes, in this line of fate, there was a very ordinary, very ordinary person, thin, malnourished, naked, with a vacant look in his eyes. He looked like a Chaos believer, with numbers and blasphemous prayers etched on his skin. He knelt with his back to them, facing the statue of [Guilliman], his head tilted back to the sky.

Horus cautiously probed with his psychic powers, but aside from a faint soul and a chaotic light, he found nothing unusual. The believer was just like any other Chaos believer, but why… why Father—

Before Horus could react, the Lord of Mankind had already rushed towards the man, almost stumbling, without any regard for his image.

The emperor ran to the kneeling man, his eyes trembling as he stared at the wide-open eyes. He took off his sunglasses and reached out as if to touch the human, but his hands remained suspended in the air, unable to go any further for a long time.

That human clearly did not react to the presence of others, or rather, did not give any orders. Therefore, he did not need to act, did not need to think, and simply knelt on the ground, offering his final value to the Empire.

What's wrong, my father?

Horus ran over in a few steps and looked cautiously at Neos.

Tears suddenly welled up in the eyes of the Lord of Mankind. He remained silent, simply watching the person weep silently.

After a long silence, the Lord of Humanity seemed to awaken from a deep dream. His expression became extremely serious, but tears continued to flow.

"..."

"The people here have suffered far more than I could have imagined... No... It's no longer just suffering... Humans shouldn't be like this... How could this be? Why did he choose this path? No... It's impossible... He could have chosen any path, why did he choose the one that causes me the most pain?"

"Nios said painfully," he finally reached out, and a pale golden light shone. He touched the eyes of the broken soul, and after a crackling flame, a glimmer of light disappeared.

"...I want to see another version of myself."

The Lord of Humanity spoke, his gaze resolute, tears blurring the golden flames in his eyes.

"I want to see another emperor."

"I want to ask him why."

His face contorted into a ferocious expression.

"Why? Why?! Why?!!!"

"Do you really think humanity deserves so much suffering?! Are you merely seeking revenge against Guilliman?!"

No more.

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