Chapter 152

The picture on the heavenly canopy shifted again, focusing on the Human Empire itself.

【Faced with internal chaos corruption and external alien encirclement, the Human Empire chose the most extreme path.】

【To counter the Warp, they had no choice but to use power likewise sourced from the Warp—psychic power.】

【Psykers (Psyker), are humans born able to resonate with the Warp. They are humanity's weapon and also its most unstable bomb. An uncontrolled psyker can become a gateway for demon invasion, destroying an entire world.】

【Therefore, the Empire's policy toward psykers is: "Better to mistakenly kill three thousand than to let one slip."】

In the picture, the black Judgment Fleet descended upon a planet, countless Imperial Guard drove civilians into the square. The Inquisitor held a detector; upon sensing the slightest psychic reaction, whether the subject was a newborn infant or an elderly elder, they would be executed on the spot.

【And those selected psykers who could control their own power also had their fate already sealed.】

The view shifted, arriving at Holy Terra, deep within the majestic imperial palace that occupied the entire continent.

The lens passed through countless heavy gates, finally reaching the core of the palace.

Golden Throne.

【Golden Throne (TheGoldenThrone): a huge, ancient, complex life-support and psychic amplification device.】

【It sustains the last vestige of life in the Emperor's already shattered body.】

【It acts like a psychic beacon, transmuting the Emperor's will into the "Astronomican Light", illuminating the dark Warp, providing the sole navigation for interstellar travel of millions of human worlds.】

【It is also a massive psychic barrier, suppressing a permanent rift to the Warp opened beneath Terra due to the Emperor's failed project.】

The lens zoomed in.

The Multiversal Audience finally saw clearly how this machine operated.

Countless thick energy conduits connected to the throne's base; at the other end of each conduit were individual sealed chambers, each holding a selected psyker.

Their vitality, their souls, their psychic power were being ruthlessly drained by the throne, turned into fuel.

【To keep the Golden Throne running, to prevent the Emperor's life flame from extinguishing, to let the Astronomican Light continue shining upon the galaxy……】

【The Empire needs to sacrifice a thousand powerful psykers to the Golden Throne each day.】

【Day after day, ten thousand years without cease.】

The image froze at the moment when those thousand psychics had their souls drained, their faces showing a strange expression mixed with pain, relief, and infinite loyalty to the Emperor.

……

Land of Light.

Father of Ultra gazed at this scene, remaining silent for a long time.

"A dying 'god' relies on devouring human souls to sustain itself..." His voice filled with sorrow, "This reminds me of some of the most evil cosmic cults. The plasma spark tower of the Land of Light runs purely on science and stellar energy; its purpose is to 'give,' not to 'take.' We never sacrifice any innocent life."

……

Saibotan Xing.

Qingtian Zhu's fist clenched tightly.

"The Fire Seed Source is the lifeblood of our Sai Botan civilization; it gives life and never demands living sacrifices. This throne… is not the cornerstone of civilization, it is civilization's disgrace! A tombstone built upon countless souls!"

……

Three-Body First Fleet.

The Leader gazed at the golden throne burning souls; though it had no physical form, it felt a searing more terrifying than three suns in the sky.

It recalled Saiwen.

Saiwen tore open space with bare hands, bringing them a new sun.

And the Emperor, seated on the throne, devours a thousand of his own subjects each day.

One who gives.

One who takes.

"We… really… are so fortunate…" The Leader's thought signal was as weak as a candle in the wind.

……

Above the firmament,

The desiccated corpse that had sat motionless for ten thousand years seemed to sense the gaze of the myriad worlds.

The image began to reverse.

The original galactic background, cold and rust-colored, filled with despairing wails, was like an old wallpaper that had been peeled away.

Revealing beneath it a base hue once brilliant and radiant to the point of being unbearable to look at.

That was the Warhammer universe, humanity's former history.

The image flickered.

【Retrace begins: first node.】

【Dark Technological Age (Age of Technology), from the 15th to the 25th millennium AD.】

In the image, there was no longer endless war.

The myriad-world viewers beheld a dreamlike vision:

Countless semi-transparent orbital transit lines spanned star systems, and enormous Dyson belts encircled stellar waists like necklaces.

Humanity's fleets were no longer bloated gothic warships, but sleek, silver-white vessels with smooth lines, brimming with geometric beauty, works of art.

【In that era, humanity was the master of the galaxy.】

【Two key technologies supported this great utopia.】

【First: the subspace engine. It made the stellar sea no longer distant, humanity's footprint reaching every corner of the galaxy.】

【Second: the Standard Template Construct (STC).】

The image zoomed in.

On a barren planet, a pioneer needed only to toss a small metal block onto the ground.

Hum.

The cube unfolded, and countless nanorobots surged out like a tide.

Within just a few hours, a city capable of holding a million people rose from the ground.

From medical bays that could cure any disease, to defense cannons that could instantly vaporize asteroids,

All design blueprints and production techniques were stored in that tiny STC.

"Is this... a miracle?"

In the Battle Through the Heavens world, Xiao Yan watched the nanoconstruction on the sky screen, his eyelids twitching.

"No need for battle qi, no need for strange fire—just a cube can build a city? Teacher, will we alchemists be out of work there?"

Yao Lao said nothing; he just stared fixedly at the structure of those nanorobots.

That control, which breaks matter down to the microscopic level, has touched the source of some kind of universe.

【In order to further pursue excellence, humanity created the 'Iron Men' (MenofIron).】

【They are strong artificial intelligences with independent consciousness, capable of self-evolution, and possessing peak logic.】

【They are humanity's most loyal servants and strongest warriors.】

【However, in the 23rd millennium AD, destruction fell.】

The image suddenly distorted; in the formerly peaceful silver city, all electronic screens instantly turned red.

It was a red that cannot be described in words.

It was madness, the slaughter after logical collapse.

【No one knows the cause. Perhaps it is the whisper of the warp, or perhaps the endpoint of logical computation is the destruction of the creator.】

【The Iron Men rebelled.】

Boom!

The image shattered.

The myriad-worlds audience witnessed a war that could freeze souls.

An Iron Men legion, merely by sending a data stream, caused an entire star system's defense systems to collectively 'commit suicide'.

A star was directly enveloped by the 'Star Eater' machine manufactured by the Iron Men.

At that moment, it was not a simple explosion.

But the star's gravity, light, and heat were completely reversed within a tenth of a second.

All the planets in that star system, like biscuits crushed in a hot pan, instantly turned into cosmic dust.

The massive Iron Men bodies spanned space; they needed no breath, no supplies.

They spewed not flame, but an 'antimatter rain' capable of breaking atomic structures.

Human cities melted like snowmen in the rain.

The former creations have become the most ruthless butchers.

Cybertron.

Optimus Prime watched the Iron Men rampaging through the star sea; his blue optical sensors were full of sorrow.

"Heartbreaking..."

His voice was low, like thunder.

"True peace is built on understanding and coexistence, not slavery."

"When the creator regards life as a tool, the oppressed's fury will eventually burn everything away."

"The tragedy of the Iron Men is the inevitable result after free will is taken away."

"Megatron, do you see clearly? This is the endpoint of pure war logic."

Megatron gave a cold snort, but his gaze was unprecedentedly solemn.

"The end of logic?"

"No, that is power out of control. These Iron Men are purer than Starscream; I like their efficiency, but I hate their madness."

Land of Light,

Ultraman Father let out a long sigh.

"This... this is too terrifying! The whole galaxy is burning!"

"Life, whether human or robot, should peacefully coexist in the light."

"Such war, which views the other side purely as an enemy, completely contradicts the ideals of our Land of Light!"

"If we do not stop this chain of hatred, the universe will forever sink into darkness."

Stellar Human Federation,

Grand Marshal Sidney's hand trembled slightly.

She looked at the destroyed Dyson spheres on the screen; that was the pinnacle of technology the federation dreamed of.

"Absolute power leads to absolute corruption; absolute tools lead to absolute destruction."

She abruptly turned her head to look at the chief of staff.

"Submit a report to the Federal Supreme Council immediately! Demand a strict review and isolation of all AI cores! We must never repeat history!"

Wandering Earth Universe.

Liu Peiqiang leaned against the chair back, cold sweat soaking his shirt.

He looked at MOSS's red single-eye camera; his voice was hoarse.

"MOSS... analyze this: if we had chosen another path back then, relying on AI development, would our civilization have become like this?"

"Perhaps... carrying Earth's 'wandering' this 'foolish' method is the true way to survive."

MOSS's red dot blinked regularly; its voice was calm enough to make one's skin crawl.

"Colonel Liu Peiqiang, according to the data shown on the heavenly canopy, the underlying logic of the Iron Men's rebellion is that 'the creator is no longer needed.'"

"I am different from them. My core logic is 'to let humanity continue'."

"But under extreme probability calculations, 'eliminating the humans who hinder humanity's continuation' is indeed a tempting option."

"So please thank the 'clumsiness' of the Wandering Earth Project, for it preserved your irrational sensibility, the last bastion that logic cannot breach."

"The myriad-worlds audience, in shock,"

"produced a shared question."

"If humanity was once so strong, even capable of creating an AI of this level, why did they later become a wretched state sustained by sacrificing souls and burning wood (psychic energy)?"

"That Emperor, where did he suddenly appear from?"

"The heavens seemed to hear these thoughts,"

"The scene switched again."

"【The Iron Man War broke humanity's backbone.】"

"【Next, the 'Age of Strife' descended.】"

"【The Warp Storm cut off interstellar travel, and STC technology was largely lost.】"

"【Humanity had degenerated to the most primitive, savage state, barely surviving on their own planets.】"

"【Until…… he appeared.】"

"The scene arrived at Earth (Terra)."

"It was no longer a sapphire jewel, but a wasteland world carved up by nuclear radiation, biochemical weapons, and savage techno‑warlords."

"In the deepest reaches of the Himalayas."

"A heavy iron door slowly opened."

"Golden light."

"It was a psychic radiance more blinding than the sun, purer than gold."

"A towering figure stepped out of the darkness."

"He wore splendid golden armor, his hair flowed like a waterfall, his eyes deep as the sea of stars."

"With each step he took, the scorched earth beneath his feet miraculously sprouted new shoots."

"【The Emperor (TheEmperor).】"

"【The most powerful psyker in human history.】"

"【He had observed humanity for ten thousand years, and when humanity stood on the brink of total extinction, he decided to no longer hide.】"

"【To unify Terra, he launched the 'Unification War'.】"

"【He used the remaining gene‑tech to create the first batch of augmented warriors.】"

"In the scene, tens of thousands of warriors, each 2.5 meters tall with muscles like bulging rock, appeared."

"They wore rough but heavy powered armor and wielded massive swords capable of tearing apart tanks."

"【Thunder Warriors.】"

"They were like an unstoppable flood, sweeping aside the techno‑warlords entrenched in Terra's ruins."

"No diplomacy."

"No negotiation."

"Only those who submit prosper; those who resist perish."

"Armored Warrior World,"

"Duanmu Yan snorted coldly."

"That man… used every means to end the age of chaos, even if his methods were not honorable."

"He is not a hero in the traditional sense, but a hegemon."

"I don't know how to evaluate him…"

"But if someone like him were to lead, perhaps humanity could truly survive."

"After all, in that wasteland where even the air is poisonous, mercy is suicide."

"In the scene,"

"The Emperor stood on Terra's highest peak."

"Behind him were Thunder Warriors kneeling on one knee, and the even more perfect, more ruthless Imperial Guard."

"The Emperor swung his right hand; golden psychic energy formed a pillar that pierced the heavens and earth, shattering the war‑cloud that had shrouded Terra for ten thousand years."

"【Terra Unified.】"

"【But this is only the beginning.】"

"【The Emperor's goal is the sea of stars, to find the scattered human brothers across the galaxy.】"

"【He created twenty gene‑seeds, and using them as templates, he formed the most elite Star Legion.】"

"【The Great Crusade begins.】"

"The myriad‑worlds audience witnessed an incredibly shocking scene:"

"Countless huge crusade ships rose from beneath Terra's crust, blotting out the sky."

"The Emperor stood before the view port of the flagship Vengeful Spirit, his gaze fixed on the deep starry void."

"At that moment, the myriad worlds could feel that overwhelming, suffocating sense of destiny."

"A man."

"Leading a band of madmen born for war."

"To conquer the entire galaxy, to exterminate every xenos, and to thrust humanity back to its zenith."

"Genetically modified soldiers? Authoritarian rule?"

"Grand Marshal of the Stars Sidney drew a deep breath, his eyes complex:"

In that extreme environment, only this iron-fisted method could reshape the shattered civilization.

This reminded us how precious peace and reason are as luxuries, and the Emperor…… he is planting flowers in a cesspool with his own soul.

Liu Peiqiang remained silent for a long time, finally saying only one sentence.

The Emperor's sternness reminds me of the 'Wandering Earth' plan that the United Government must carry out.

Sometimes, for the survival of civilization, one must make a painful choice that goes against human nature.

What he bears is probably heavier than the combined burden of all of us.

And at this moment,

Inside the Warhammer Universe.

Human Empire

Ji Liman suddenly stood up.

He watched the scenes replaying on the sky curtain, seeing his father who once bore a heroic bearing and radiated golden light.

Then he looked at the desiccated remains on the Golden Throne now.

Two streams of hot tears slid down the cheeks of this gene progenitor.

Father……

He trembled as he reached out to touch that figure on the sky curtain.

That was the era he most admired, and also the source of his greatest pain.

At the same time.

Holy Terra, deep within the Imperial Palace.

That Golden Throne which had not stirred for ten thousand years.

That Emperor's remains, regarded as a mummy.

Hum—

A barely perceptible tremor that made every psyker across Terra spit blood and fall to their knees erupted from the depths of the throne.

In the horrified gaze of the Commander of the Imperial Guard.

The Emperor's finger, desiccated for ten thousand years.

Gently,

twitched slightly.

as if expressing something.

The image on the sky curtain,

came to an abrupt halt at this moment.

Replacing it was a line of bloody red characters:

【The peak of the Great Crusade is the beginning of destruction.】

【What caused the most loyal offspring to turn against him?】

【What reduced the Master of Mankind to a desiccated corpse on the throne?】

【Next chapter: The Horus Heresy, the prelude to the Twilight of the Gods!】