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

Page 694

"Do you consider yourself loyal or dutiful to me now, Mortarian?"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Hades, who was watching the play, couldn't stay still, and he started coughing.

Mortarion's face darkened further, and even Angron, who was standing nearby, began to cough.

Killieman, however, remained unaffected; his gaze remained steadfast.

"Then I hope you can explain the true purpose and value behind these actions, my father."

Robert Guilliman's blond hair shone brightly, and a crown formed from psionic fragments gleamed above his head as the kneeling king earnestly questioned the emperor—

It seemed as if they were genuinely considering whether the Lord of Humanity should continue to steer the great ship of the Empire.

Even though Guilliman had worked continuously for over a thousand years, and even though he still sometimes sighs at official documents, he clearly possessed more genuine courage and conscience when faced with official documents and responsibilities than the others.

"Holy crap, he's serious."

Hades gasped softly as he watched Guilliman resolutely grasp Neos's hand.

Please tell me the truth, Father.

Hades suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Wait a minute?! Is Neos going to use this as an excuse to run away?"

He asked, but neither Macado nor Olpeson gave him a response; their faces were grim, as if they had answered Hades' question.

So will Neos choose his conscience this time?

Yay, it's gone!

Chapter 725 But we can make everyone feel pain

Please tell me the truth, Father.

He wasn't surprised by that statement.

The Lord of Mankind looked at John Guilliman with a calm expression and a deep gaze—only Robert Guilliman would ask such a question.

Guilliman knew what might happen after he asked that question, but the Primarch asked it anyway, with genuine determination.

This is the resolute determination to face a bleak future and the courage to confront a bleak life.

So... what should Neos's answer be?

--------

"I have prepared a little surprise for the Emperor."

Makado stared intently at Neos below, the old man muttering softly, uttering whispers from his toothless mouth.

Hades glanced at Makado, then silently extended his black domain—Hades seemed to know something.

"He still listens to you?"

Hades asked casually, to which Makado responded with a mocking smile.

"He certainly no longer obeys my orders, after all, the dog leash around his neck has come off—but I think he'd probably be quite happy to act crazy here."

Hades's lips twitched.

"Are you sure?"

He asked uncertainly, while Macardo gave him a very affirmative look.

"He will, don't worry."

Makado told the truth, then turned his head and stared intently at Neos. Seeing that Makado was no longer paying attention to him, Hades had no choice but to look back down.

He blinked, waiting curiously for the Lord of Humanity's answer.

----------

Nios sometimes feels sad.

He was perplexed that his offspring did not share his profound understanding; the Primarchs, forged purely from the flames of the Warp, were instead bound by the constraints of human society—their anchor point, yet also their shackle.

They are not yet as agile as the Emperor.

Perhaps this is the limit of gene technology.

However, these prototypes all inherited some kind of will from the Lord of Humanity.

For example, Robert Killieman.

The Emperor felt a touch more mercy in his gaze toward his thirteenth son, whose blue-eyed offspring was so ideal; Guilliman was almost the embodiment of the wise ruler described in all books.

This offspring he had intentionally neglected, if he had grown up according to his true plan, would have been a burning flame of reason; he would have been even more cold-blooded, more cruel, and more ruthless.

He would be suited to be a leader, a tyrannical despot.

But now, this offspring's soul is so radiant, shining with the light of humanism, that Guilliman will still be a king, and he will become a great sage who will be remembered for billions of years to come.

So... how should he answer this son's question?

Neos lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembling. He would never reveal the whole truth; it was too trivial and complicated, and his descendants might not be able to accept or believe it.

Truth and comfort should be mixed in equal measure; you will respond to their souls, affirming what they affirm and denying what they deny.

Then take the opportunity to expose your weakness and helplessness. You should take off this crown and leave.

Neos thought this, yet he knew he could not leave at all; he was the foundation of the empire, and he would remain here, forever here.

He will be truly freed only when the last human forgets him, and when the last book that recorded his story turns to dust.

He will truly leave and never return.

But now, even though Neos harbored a thousand thoughts of leaving, he ultimately could not leave directly—

But this would not prevent him from handing over the work to his offspring; he could stay here and peacefully build the soul of Horus.

"You are allowed to know the truth."

Neos said softly,

"Yes,"

He sighed softly and took Killieman's hand.

"Faith brings strength, faith brings loss of control. I have been on the verge of losing control several times—I was no longer myself, and some terrible disasters occurred as a result."

The Emperor raised his eyes and stared meaningfully at Mortarian.

“You should understand this deeply, Mortarian.”

The Pale Lord sneered, but did not deny it.

"Yes, that is the truth, my children—I am not omniscient and omnipotent, so I have entrusted you with a mission. It is your duty and obligation, but some of you have not fulfilled the mission I have given you well."

Niosca paused for a moment, looking as if he was about to sigh sadly.

"Therefore, an accident occurred, and disaster struck."

This is a half-truth, half-lies. Some of the Primarchs' mistakes were actually within Neos's calculations. He anticipated their oversights and took advantage of them.

【That…Saint-Gilles…】

Pale and powerless, Guilliman continued to try to find the truth for his former comrade, but the Lord of Mankind merely stared at him with a stern face.

“I am sorry for this—but I was unable to control Him at the time. The divine and the personal were vying for my power, and I had no time to attend to anything else.”

As Neos spoke, he sighed softly. All the Primarchs could see the few wrinkles creeping up the Emperor's forehead, and a few strands of white hair hidden among his black hair, yet so clear and glaring.

Neos shrugged.

"But you need not worry now—I have lost most of my power, and with that power, I am no longer swept up by the waves of the warp."

He made everyone see his brown eyes, which no longer shone with brilliant golden light. To be fair, Neos now looked very much like a mortal, without any extra talents or abilities.

Guilliman's gaze darted toward Neos, and Neos was delighted to notice a hint of regret in Guilliman's eyes. Mortarion, on the other hand, impatiently looked away, while Angron continued to stare blankly at Neos.

Killieman hesitated.

A small crown of pure light hovered above his head and slowly rotated. Guilliman knew, of course, what the Lord of Man wanted to do—he wanted to delegate all the work to the Primarchs.

This is clearly not what Neos wants. If Neos is really let go, Guilliman will then face the Pale Lord's 80 and his eccentricities.

But he was also genuinely worried about whether the Lord of Man could still shoulder such a heavy burden. The Emperor was right; his power had already declined. Guilliman even suspected that if the Primarchs attacked all at once, the Lord of Man would probably not be able to win.

But this also means that Neos's abilities are declining.

The horrific events of the past were still vivid in Guilliman's mind. He recalled how Saint Gilles excitedly recounted to him his conversation with the Lord of Mankind in a dream—

It was these prophetic dreams that kept them going, but little did they know that the next moment they would all fall into the abyss.

Guilliman believed that the divine nature of the Lord of Man corrupted human personality, and that the tragedy of Saint Gilles was caused by rebellion, or by necessity, or by coercion.

He vowed never to let the tragedy repeat itself.

Therefore, Guilliman must remove the Lord of Man from the position of the first decision-maker of the Empire.

He needs to remove the Lord of Man from the fold. Yes, Guilliman may want to sideline the Lord of Man—but everyone knows he's not after that damned power.

It was not for those mountainous official duties.

Rather, it was to ensure that the empire operated in more reliable hands...

Guilliman felt blood seeping from his clenched teeth. He struggled with the decision alone, but he knew he couldn't let the Lord of Man walk away.

First, the emperor must work.

Second, the Emperor's decision-making power must be stripped away—it now appears that both the Lord of Mankind and the Primarchs share this intention.

But the Emperor might simply not want to work, while the Primarchs wanted to limit the privileges of the Lord of Man—or at least make him notify the Primarchs before he ceases to be human.

This is also to prevent the Lord of Humanity from falling into chaos again, or to prevent the Lord of Humanity from making foolish moves after his abilities decline.

Robert Guilliman's silence grew increasingly jarring, prompting Mortalian to glance at him. The Pale Lord's thoughts were remarkably simple—

Give all the work to the Lord of Humanity, because the Lord of Humanity will certainly not watch the Empire fall.

Mortarian did not consider that the old man was incapable of managing the empire.

Meanwhile, Angron observed the crowd. The Lord of Red Sand sensed something was amiss; he realized that this conversation might not yield any results.

If that's the case, he shouldn't have stopped Mortarian's punch.

In fact, Angron stopped Mortarion just now simply because he felt that the three of them were no match for the Lord of Man.

The long silence prompted Hades, watching from the sidelines, to raise an eyebrow.

The next moment, Neos broke the deadlock, sighing as a crystal tear slid down his cheek.

“My child, I am so sorry… I feel grief and regret over what happened to Saint Gilles…”

This is the truth.

Neos gently stroked the healing chamber of Saint Gilles once more.

Because of his tears, Angron didn't stop him this time.

But this time, something is definitely different.

All the Primarchs could see the genuine sorrow and regret in Neos's eyes. Angron also felt the sorrow, just as when Loka first saw Neos weep. Even Mortarion was shocked by the scene before him.

This is the truth that you never shed tears easily, and you never easily reveal your true feelings—your rare tears are all the more precious.

The emperor's sorrow is real, but what does the ruler of mankind want to do with his sorrow?

"I did make a mistake back then."

This is a lie.

To make the Lord of Mankind truly admit his mistakes... As of now, perhaps only Makado or Horus have a chance.

"I am not a god, nor am I omniscient or omnipotent."

The truth.

"Therefore, I may also make the wrong choice,"

That's a lie; the Lord of Humanity's choices are certainly all correct.

"And now,"