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

Page 394

If you are familiar with Horus, you suddenly realize this.

Your ascension to the throne and the establishment of your empire will lead to the collapse of Horus.

Horus, with his lust for power and suspicious nature, would absolutely not accept your actions.

And this will be the decisive factor in Horus's fall.

The sun rises over you, shining on your crown, and people cheer for you, but you feel dizzy.

You cannot avoid building an empire; the dark side of the galaxy needs faith.

But then you realize that if you establish an empire, then... Horus, the ally you've been unable to contact... the one you've been seeking but never obtained... the one you've always longed for, will be immediately released from the chaotic warp by those beings.

At that time, Horus, who was overjoyed and thought he had found a close friend and helper, will face your betrayal.

He watched you ascend to the throne, saying that the imperial truth he had always upheld was a lie, abandoned the empire, picked up the words of the Word Bearer, and appointed your minions, lions, and bats.

How could he possibly accept that?

Yes, this time, you betrayed him first.

If you do nothing, you will slowly wear yourself down under the millstone of time; if you act, you will personally push your dearest friend into the abyss.

Saint Gilles trembled.

He shook his head incredulously.

The bat let out a mournful, sobbing cry.

This is the truth.

This is... the future you face after making a choice.

Ignorance is bliss.

But now, let's face the future.

Great!

Chapter 464 The Shattered Prophecy

Koz let out a strange, dying laugh.

He was laughing, he was crying, he looked at the broken sculpture, and in that instant, the Lord of Night was certain he saw something deeper beneath that pure white exterior—

That is the truth about the thing called "Saint Gilles".

Archangel... Archangel...

Conrad struggled, "Why won't you listen to my advice? Why did you willingly walk into the abyss?"

He chuckled, "Serves you right, you really deserve it."

Now… he looked at the shattered god struggling in the illusion… this was Conrad Coz, the whisper that existed every single second.

...Angels, shatter!

Conrad Coates shed tears of blood, and he cried out again, as if singing a dirge for his brother.

...He was right, but Coates didn't want to be right.

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You feel suffocated.

Suffocating, absurd, unbelievable.

As you look down the river, the brilliant sunrise over Baal transforms into the light on the Blade of Vengeance; you see him, he is right there.

Horus Lupecal, your dearest friend.

You are recognized by the Primarchs as the closest of friends.

You don't know that if fate had flowed as it always has, Mortarion, who admires Horus, would have sighed with envy at your relationship with Horus.

But in addition to all that, he was also the legion commander of the Son of Horus, the eldest son who was the center of attention, a war marshal, and the person the emperor trusted most.

He is the Primarch whom the Emperor trusts most; there is no single one.

He's sitting there, at the strategy table where you used to have deep conversations with him. He looks tired and weary—he's carried far more weight than you have from the very beginning.

he……

You stare at his back.

he got hurt.

You knew he was injured; you could smell blood, but you couldn't see any obvious wounds from his back. The strong smell of blood tugged at you, carrying the chill of winter, making you even more uneasy.

You lift your foot and try to walk over carefully.

Horus?

You asked softly, but he didn't answer your call. So you raised your voice and spoke cautiously.

Horus?

[...Your Majesty,]

Horus spoke, his voice hoarse, as if he had lost his soul, like a stray dog.

You walk up behind him and see the warrior general in light armor, fiddling with two rings in his hands.

You recognize them; they were gifts bestowed upon Horus by the Emperor.

The clay ring had cracked, with ominous cracks creeping across it, while the gold ring had lost its luster.

You realize that these two rings must have protected Horus in some way several times, but now they can't hold on any longer.

You stare at Horus, and you feel that he is... infected? Or something else? Horus has more than one aura about him.

But you might be overthinking it.

Horus stroked the two rings, and the emotion in his tone sent a chill down your spine.

You establish an empire, you overthrow the empire's truth, you spread the faith of the divine emperor.

You don't know which of these conditions would be acceptable to Horus.

[…Saint-Gilles.]

Horus spoke in a low voice, his hoarse tone concealing things you cannot face—disappointment, sadness, despair, anger…you cannot try to discern them.

Horus gently stroked the crack on the ring, as if recalling that thrilling moment.

[…Saint-Gilles,]

The Wolf God lamented and prayed.

Is what I've been holding onto truly just a joke?

Horus spoke softly, breathing heavily, as he put the two rings he had been playing with back on and stood up resolutely.

You were startled and took a step back.

You watch Horus walk toward you, but your wings are not reflected in his eyes. You are merely an illusion from a prophecy. At this moment, Horus is real, and you are just a futile passerby.

No, you are the executioner who caused this.

Horus stood awkwardly on the thick woolen rug in his study, the intricate ancient Terran patterns shimmering dimly under the lamplight.

You stare in astonishment at all this. Is he really Horus? Or just a demon imitating his appearance?

Horus stopped, and for a moment his weary, evasive gaze regained its clarity and determination. Horus turned his back to you again, as if he were facing something else, something you could not see.

【Father,】

Horus spoke, and now you realize what Horus is doing.

Are you truly going to bestow the title of War General upon me? I do not doubt your bravery and wisdom, nor do I doubt that I am the most outstanding among my nineteen brothers.

But I still felt uneasy, an unease that lingered like a night mist, like a cawing raven standing before my window. I felt a slight unease about my own existence. I could be the most outstanding among the nineteen warriors, but I couldn't be certain I would be a good general.

Horus fell silent. You know what it is, of course. The emperor stood before his favorite son, comforting his child.

For a moment, you felt nauseous.

The Emperor—Does the Emperor know these things?

You imagine that he would hand over an empire destined to collapse to the child who most hoped to fulfill his ambitions, an empire whose very foundation was a lie, a mistake.

You don't know how the Emperor comforted Horus, but you can imagine those empty and frivolous words, and even more so, those vague and unrealistic promises, using a few words to cover up the weight of an empire.

You stare at Horus, who continues his performance. Horus is the most innocent party in this game, and you begin to feel a growing resentment towards the Emperor.

He personally sent a loyal soul to the gallows.

You don't know the Emperor's final order to Hades; you only know that he commanded Horus to stand on the edge of the cliff.

After a brief silence, Horus smiled with satisfaction. His smile was so genuine, revealing little bitterness.

【I will, Father, I will—I swear by the soul and life of Horus Lupecal, I will bear the name of Warmaster, I will lead the Empire to even greater glory for ten thousand years, I will not fail you in the slightest.】

Horus smiled, and you could already imagine what the man opposite him was going to say—nothing more than empty promises.

You look at Horus, at him, your dearest friend. You look at him with exhilaration. He stands before the eyes of the entire galaxy, crowned with laurels, joyfully receiving the Empire from his father's hands. He is eager to conquer, full of ambition. The Great Crusade is about to end, and a more glorious future is about to begin. How can he not be overjoyed?

He looked at the empire in his hands with great joy, trying to manipulate it carefully like a child. He believed he would get the hang of it soon, because he knew he was the most outstanding being.

Then--

Snapped.

The masterpiece slipped from his hands, fell to the ground, and shattered.

Horus collapsed.

Horus, who had just been reliving the scene of communicating with the Emperor, collapsed to the ground. He clutched his head in anguish, struggling and sobbing, overwhelmed by immense self-blame and guilt.

He must have struggled, he must have tried, but this was not a situation that a Primarch could change.

Because he had struggled, because he had tried his best, his despair at this moment was all the more unforgettable.

【……No……】

Horus whimpered softly.

[...No...Peturabo...No...You can't...Luojia...No...Alpha...No no no...Fogen...Magnus...No?! Magnus—Russ!!]

Horus uttered incoherent ravings: "You hear the name of your brother, the name of those planets and worlds, the name of some... demons, the name of the emperor."

The smell of blood from the tip of your nose is even stronger now.

In a daze, the lights dimmed for a moment, and you saw blood—

Blood...blood seeped from Horus's feet, crawling densely across the ground, with blasphemous characters written in blood around the warlord.

It's a monster performing a play for you.

You blinked, and Horus was still there wailing, but the carpet was neat and clean.

As you hear his painful cries, you can't help but walk over, crouch down, and wrap your wings around his back.

Horus,

You said firmly,

This is absolutely not your fault.

You know you're just a phantom, you can't interfere with him, you can only try in vain to comfort him—or perhaps you're just comforting yourself.

But he raised his head.

Horus stares straight at you.

You feel goosebumps creeping up your spine.

Why did you betray me, Saint Gilles?

Horus stared at you intently, his eyes bloodshot, his gaze unwavering.

Your nose twitched again; you smelled blood—was he really Horus? Would Horus say such a thing to you?

No... he will.

Saint Gilles thought to himself that he certainly would.