The black-haired man absorbed every drop of the pure cosmic energy and knowledge accumulated by the ancient saints over tens of thousands of years, leaving the ancient device completely devoid of power and ceasing its operation. The black-haired man then swung his sword, reducing the ancient saint's relic to ruins.
"Are you full, Father?" Ryan joked as he casually sat down beside his father.
"…Not enough."
"What?! Even this isn't enough?" Ryan's face showed his disbelief. "Father, this is the ancient saints' treasure accumulated over countless years! This cosmic energy is enough to turn a mortal into a demigod!"
"It's not enough. This energy is only sufficient to heal my soul, which has been torn and tormented for over ten thousand years. To heal my decayed and withered body, I need more energy," the black-haired man calmly shook his head.
"What should I do then?" Ryan asked mockingly. "Father, do you intend to drain the entire world?"
"No... According to the knowledge I acquired, the ancient saints have more than one such device." The black-haired man paused his actions. After absorbing such immense cosmic energy, his golden silhouette almost solidified. "There are more devices like this in the world. Continue searching for them."
"Alright, I understand, Father," Ryan nodded. "The ancient saints have accumulated treasures for millions of years, so they certainly have more than just this."
"…However, there is some good news. Among the ancient saints' technologies, I found their unique waygate construction techniques. After over eleven thousand years of continuous battles with demons, my soul and mind can finally find some respite." The black-haired man sighed softly, his towering figure approaching Ryan. "This is thanks to you, my son."
"In that case, Father, are you busy now?" Ryan's face was pale, the five-hour psionic infusion had left him feeling drained.
The black-haired man waved his hand, and a golden light enveloped Ryan, restoring his energy and dispelling his fatigue. "What do you want to ask, Ryan?"
"I want to ask you a few questions, Father," Ryan scratched the back of his head, asking casually.
"I can see that your heart is filled with doubts. Doubt leads to thinking, and thinking breeds heresy." The black-haired man's tone remained as cold as ever, but seeing Ryan's pale face, he nodded. "However, you have proven your will and courage. Ask your questions, and I will answer them to the best of my ability."
"Father, why did you choose me?" Ryan asked first.
"When you appeared before me, I knew you were the most precious gift the Warp had given me." The black-haired man looked at Ryan quietly. "Unlike all other creations, what appeared before me was a flawless... human."
"Flawless?"
"Yes, flawless. The Warp and the real world are inseparably connected. From a newborn's first cry, they establish a fundamental connection with the Warp. But I saw no such connection in you, Ryan. You are a complete, untainted human." The black-haired man spoke with absolute certainty, making Ryan feel as if any absurd statement from his father would become a divine truth. "So, Father, you chose me?"
"Indeed. My genes merged perfectly with your body. You are like a smooth egg; no matter how Chaos tries to corrupt you, they can never penetrate your shell." The black-haired man continued, "The only way to corrupt you would be to soak you in filth for a long time, slowly seeping in. Some of your brothers were like this; Chaos immersed them in filth when they were infants, eventually corrupting them. But this won't work on you anymore. Under my watch, you have grown smoothly to this point, and Chaos can no longer taint your heart."
"Even so, I still don't understand what makes me special," Ryan shook his head, clearly not accepting the explanation.
"You have a unique quality, Ryan. After years of using psionics, you should understand your uniqueness. Your special constitution can absorb the power of Chaos and convert it into the purest Warp energy. This makes my future plan to reverse the corruption feasible." The black-haired man continued, "You can easily withstand communication with my psionics, which is very important."
"Alright, so I'm that impressive?" Ryan chuckled self-deprecatingly, accepting the explanation. But he quickly asked another question. "Father, is it true that if you are removed from the Golden Throne, you can break free and reincarnate?"
"Yes, and no." The answer was still cold.
"???" Ryan was puzzled.
"My psionic consciousness has been battling those horrors in the Warp for over eleven thousand years for the survival of humanity. In the real world, my body has decayed. If I leave the Golden Throne, humanity will no longer be able to fend off the terrible darkness. My life is an endless torment, but I must endure. Any lapse would allow the demons to flood into the material universe, drowning it in chaotic energy. Therefore, as long as my body can endure, I will burn until my last breath. I am the Emperor, past, present, and future."
"Thanks to Magnus's foolishness, if I don't sit on the Golden Throne, the human empire will be destroyed. Similarly, even if I leave the Golden Throne, I can indeed reincarnate, but like your fallen brothers, I cannot ensure a smooth reincarnation or find a suitable body to walk the material world. When I return, I may no longer be the Master of Mankind but something else. I cannot take that risk."
"Now, thanks to you, my son, I have a way to permanently seal the waygate breaches with the ancient saints' technology." The black-haired man, or the Emperor of Mankind, finally extended his hand, gently patting Ryan's head. "Amid the temptation of godhood, you remained true to yourself, maintaining your loyalty to me. I am proud of you."
"You're welcome, Father. I just want to know when you can lend me a hand?" Ryan replied with a forced smile. Being patted on the head by his father wasn't a pleasant experience. He was twenty-four years old, yet he was still treated like a child.
"I need enough time to close the waygate breaches and assimilate this energy. You still need to fight alone for a while," the Emperor gave Ryan an unsatisfactory answer.
"Then... the third question, Father. Why did you appoint Horus as Warmaster?" Ryan asked, puzzled.
"Was there another choice?" the Emperor countered.
"For example... Guilliman?" Ryan hesitated, then mentioned a name.
"Roboute Guilliman is filled with rules and principles, always emphasizing following the regulations and creating incredibly complex action guidelines. But he never thinks to use his head and realize that things don't always go as planned. Despite his excellent leadership and political acumen, he wasn't suitable for Warmaster," the Emperor continued shaking his head.
"Uh... Johnson?" Ryan mentioned another name.
"Johnson is more like an orphan than one of my creations. Despite his courage and faith, he is aloof and arrogant, never explaining his thoughts to others or listening to others' opinions. I couldn't appoint him as Warmaster," the Emperor explained.
"Then... Sanguinius?" Ryan felt awkward.
"Sanguinius... is a dreamer. Forget him. He ultimately died because of me," the Emperor dismissed Ryan's suggestion again.
Both father and son fell silent until the towering figure of the Emperor began to waver.
"I must go, Ryan. One last question."
"Father, what kind of world is this?" Ryan stood up, fully recovered under the Emperor's sacred light.
"This world is special. It was once the playground, later the experimental ground, and finally the refuge of the ancient saints. It is shrouded in perpetual Warp storms, accessible only through the waygate's astral portals. The ancient saints hid their last and purest secrets in this world. I don't know what they are, but I know you must prevent the End Times, Ryan. Otherwise... I foresee something terrible will happen. Ryan, you must stop it!" The Emperor's tone was extremely serious and heavy.
"I will!" Ryan raised his warhammer, making a promise to his father.
"The future will face a new chapter! Endless wars will sweep across the universe! No living being will be spared. The path forward will be filled with fire. Under my beloved son's efforts, humanity's hope will be rekindled! Though the future path may be shrouded in darkness, humanity will stand tall atop the tide of blood!"
"My plan is already in motion. Grow quickly, Ryan." The Emperor's figure faded from the basement.
"Leave it to me, Father! I won't let you down... provided you hurry up and help me out," Ryan muttered to the air.
Shaking his head, Ryan left the basement.
When he emerged from the collapsed manor and returned to Miodon Haven, it was already dawn.
He immediately sensed something was wrong.
Heading towards the town, he saw a family of civilians pushing their cart along the road towards the town.
This was highly unusual. In the dangerous wilderness at such an early hour, why would these farmers risk traveling at night?
Ryan hurried towards the road.
"Grandma, why are we leaving our home?" a little girl, her face covered in dust and dressed in thin clothing despite the winter, asked her grandmother with a puzzled expression.
It was a simple family of six: grandparents, parents, and two children. A simple cart carried all their belongings.
"Clara, the barbarians are coming. If we don't leave, they'll break into our house, steal our food, and eat all the children alive!" The old woman pulled the little girl's hand, speaking anxiously. "Only in
the town are we safe."
Despite her words, the grandmother's face was full of fear.
"Alright, hurry up! We need to reach Miodon Haven quickly!" the middle-aged man urged. "Hurry! If we're too late, there won't be any place to stay even if we get into town!"
"But Dad, I'm so tired and hungry!" The boy complained, his thin body shivering in the winter night, his blue-tinged face showing signs of malnutrition.
"Hang in there, just a little longer! When we get to town, I'll buy you some milk. Come on, Lucas, just a bit more!" The mother secretly counted her money, a small bag with a few coins. She hoped that if things went well, they could find a place to settle and still save some money.
But if they did, next year's life would be tight again.
Thankfully, the barbarians came at this time. If they had come two months earlier during the harvest, this family would have been doomed.
"But I don't want milk! I want ham, I want bread!" Lucas complained, tears streaming down his face and quickly freezing.
"Lucas, stop whining! We need to get to town quickly!" Grandpa scolded.
"No, no! I'm hungry, I'm cold! I want bread, I want ham! Wahhh!!" Overcome with hunger and cold, Lucas cried loudly in the wild.
Seeing this, the girl also sat down and cried with her brother, "Wahhh!!"
Their loud cries were piercing. The parents panicked, quickly putting down the cart and desperately trying to soothe their crying children. The adults even bit their lips, stuffing their clothes into the children's mouths. "Stop crying, stop crying!!! You'll attract bandits!"
"Wah! Wahhh!!!" The children only cried louder, kicking their feet and leaving muddy footprints on their parents' clothes.
"Stop crying! Ulfric is coming, Ulfric is coming!" The mother immediately told the most frightening story.
The children finally stopped crying.
But it was too late. Attracted by the crying, a group of dark figures appeared on the horizon.
Bandits! The bandits had really come!
If you enjoyed reading, please give me some votes!